ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Malformations of the central nervous system (CNS) are of major clinical importance, leading to considerable mortality and morbidity, both prenatally and postnatally. The birth prevalence of CNS malformations is between 5 and 10 per 1000 births and appears to have remained fairly stable over the past 50 years.535,732 Data collected from Europe and the USA between 1940 and 1990 show that 8-10 per cent of stillbirths and 5-6 per cent of early neonatal deaths are caused primarily by malformation of the CNS.535 Moreover, CNS malformations are present in around 15 per cent of infants dying from causes associated with birth defects.1113
