ABSTRACT
Many congenital defects that are of interest to the pediatric surgeon can now be detected before birth, thus the preoperative assessment of the newborn with congenital anomaly starts in utero. When serious malformations incompatible with postnatal life are diagnosed early enough, the family may have the option of terminating the pregnancy. Therefore it is important for every pediatric surgeon who is familiar with the management of the congenital anomalies after birth to be involved in management decisions and family counselling before birth.1 The main goal of prenatal diagnosis is to improve the prenatal care by maternal transport to an appropriate center and delivering the baby in the timing and mode that are appropriate for the specific fetal malformation. Although prenatal intervention for certain congenital anomalies has been reported recently,2,3
almost all congenital malformations can be successfully managed after birth.
