Decrease in Prevalence of Cleft lip, Alveolus and Palate After Nationwide Introduction of the Second-Trimester Anomaly Scan in the Netherlands

OBJECTIVE Some studies have suggested that introducing a second-trimester anomaly scan (SAS) leads to increased rates of termination of pregnancy (TOP) in fetuses with orofacial clefts (OFCs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a nationwide introduction of SAS on the prevalence of live births with OFCs in the Netherlands. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Tertiary setting. POPULATION Included in the study were all patients diagnosed with OFCs as recorded in the Dutch Association for Cleft Palate Anomalies database between 1997 and 2019. INTERVENTIONS Patients were divided into three categories: cleft lip with or without alveolus (CL/A), cleft lip, alveolus and palate (CLAP) and cleft palate (CP) based on anatomical landmarks at the first consultation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence rates of OFCs before and after the nationwide introduction of the SAS on January 1, 2007 were compared. RESULTS Overall, 1899 patients were diagnosed with CL/A, 2586 with CLAP and 2927 with CP. The prevalence of clefts before and after introduction of the SAS did not differ (P = 0.85). The prevalence of CL/A decreased (P = 0.04), and that of CLAP decreased (P = 0.01) and that of CP increased (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates a significant decrease in the prevalence of CL/A and CLAP after introduction of the SAS. However, due to an increase in CP, the prevalence of all patients born with OFCs has not changed in the Netherlands between 1997 and 2019.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the impact of introducing a second-trimester anomaly scan on the prevalence of live births with orofacial clefts in the Netherlands. The results show that the introduction of the scan did not change the overall prevalence of clefts, but there was a decrease in cleft lip with or without alveolus and cleft lip with alveolus and palate, and an increase in cleft palate.