SynthesisBMJ paediatrics open2020
Investigating the use of ultrasonography for the antenatal diagnosis of structural congenital anomalies in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ paediatrics open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Perinatal Deaths in Suriname: A Nationwide Cohort Study on Causes of Death and Lessons Learned from Facility-Based Audits.Maternal and child health journal · 2026Article
- Knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to second-trimester fetal anomaly scan utilization among pregnant women in Jordan: a cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- The Evolution of Cephalocentesis in Contemporary Obstetric Practice: From Emergency Intervention to Planned Procedure.Fetal diagnosis and therapy · 2026Article
- Knowledge and Attitudes of Medical and Nursing Students toward Noninvasive Prenatal Testing and Fetal Anomaly Scan.Annals of African medicine · 2026Article
- A Case of Nonimmune Hydrops Fetalis With a Duct-Dependent Systemic Circulation and a Novel Mutation of Kabuki Syndrome.Case reports in genetics · 2026Article
- Management, Outcome, Risk, and Expectation classification for structural fetal anomalies to aid antenatal counseling: a prospective validation study.Pediatric surgery international · 2025Article
- Antenatal ultrasound cannot detect all congenital Anomalies: Clinical limitations, India-specific barriers, and medicolegal perspectives.Journal of hand and microsurgery · 2025Review
- Evaluation of large-scale implementation of obstetric point of care ultrasound in eight counties in Kenya using RE-AIM framework.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- A Multicentric Analysis of a Pre-Ecographic Score in Pregnancy: Time for a Dedicated Classification System.Epidemiologia (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Spectrum of congenital anomalies detected through anatomy ultrasound at a referral hospital in Ghana.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Causes, management and outcomes of polyhydramnios at a secondary level hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.PloS one · 2025Article
- The Importance of Neurosurgical Intervention and Surgical Timing for Management of Pediatric Patients with Myelomeningoceles in Bangladesh.World neurosurgery · 2024Article
- Article
- Prenatal ultrasound screening and congenital anomalies at birth by region: Pattern and distribution in Latvia.European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X · 2023Review
- The burden, prevention and care of infants and children with congenital anomalies in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Where is the 'C' in antenatal care and postnatal care: A multi-country survey of availability of antenatal and postnatal care in low- and middle-income settings.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2022Article
- Paediatric nephrology in under-resourced areas.Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) · 2022Review
- Management, Outcome, Risk, and Expectation Classification for Structural Fetal Anomalies to Aid Antenatal Counseling: A Systematic Review.Journal of Indian Association of Pediatric SurgeonsReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCongenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of under-5 mortality globally. The greatest burden is faced by those in low/middle-income countries (LMICs), where over 95% of deaths occur. Many of these deaths may be preventable through antenatal diagnosis and early intervention. This systematic literature review investigates the use of antenatal ultrasound to diagnose congenital anomalies and improve the health outcomes of infants in LMICs.
methodsA systematic literature review was conducted using three search strings: (1) structural congenital anomalies; (2) LMICs; and (3) antenatal diagnosis. The search was conducted on the following databases: Medline, Embase, PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Title, abstract and full-text screening was undertaken in duplicate by two reviewers independently. Consensus among the wider authorship was sought for discrepancies. The primary analysis focused on the availability and effectiveness of antenatal ultrasound for diagnosing structural congenital anomalies. Secondary outcomes included neonatal morbidity and mortality, termination rates, referral rates for further antenatal care and training level of the ultrasonographer. Relevant policy data were sought.
resultsThe search produced 4062 articles; 97 were included in the review. The median percentage of women receiving an antenatal ultrasound examination was 50.0% in African studies and 90.7% in Asian studies (range 6.8%-98.8%). Median detection rates were: 16.7% Africa, 34.3% South America, 34.7% Asia and 47.3% Europe (range 0%-100%). The training level of the ultrasound provider may affect detection rates. Four articles compared morbidity and mortality outcomes, with inconclusive results. Significant variations in termination rates were found (0%-98.3%). No articles addressed referral rates.
conclusionAntenatal detection of congenital anomalies remains highly variable across LMICs and is particularly low in sub-Saharan Africa. Further research is required to investigate the role of antenatal diagnosis for improving survival from congenital anomalies in LMICs. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019105620.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.