Causal heterogeneity of anencephaly and spina bifida has been demonstrated; in rare families the neural tube defect may be caused by a single gene. We report a family in which four cases of anencephaly or spina bifida may represent X-linked inheritance.

The sixth documented case of heterotopic gastric mucosa in the large bowel proximal to the rectum is described in a two year old girl with a neural tube defect and recurrent rectal bleeding. Unusual in itself, this case is unique in that the rectal bleeding has been controlled with an H2 receptor antagonist.

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are congenital malformations of the brain and spinal cord caused by the failure of neural tubes to close between 21 and 28 days after conception (Sadler, 2005). Any disruption of neurulation during or prior to this time may result in a defect or failure of neural tube closure. Non-invasive prenatal diagnostic testing by ultrasound and maternal serum screening, which s...

abstract objective neural tube defects including anencephaly, encephalocele, and spina bifida are major congenital malformations with multifactorial etiology, and with a great variation in their prevalence in different populations. the study on the prevalence of these malformations may be helpful in planning strategies for their prevention. the aim of this epidemiologic descriptive study was to...