Pregnancy Outcomes With Congenital Anomalies In South-Eastern Turkey: A Ten-Year Retrospective Study From A Tertiary Centre

Congenital anomalies are an important cause of infant morbidity and mortality and have a high prevalence, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This retrospective cohort study evaluated the prevalence, distribution, and outcomes of congenital anomalies in Southeast Turkey over a 10-year period and investigated prognostic factors affecting survival. A total of 956 pregnant women referred to a tertiary care centre with suspected or confirmed fetal anomaly between January 2015 and December 2024 were included in the study. Maternal demographic, obstetric and clinical data and fetal characteristics were obtained from hospital records. Anomalies were classified according to organ systems and birth weights were categorised according to World Health Organization definitions. Congenital anomalies were observed in 956 (7.3%) of 13,089 births. Central nervous system anomalies were the most common (44.2%), followed by cystic hygroma (10.3%), cardiac (9.4%) and urinary system anomalies (8.7%). Neural tube defects were present in 31.8% of cases and spina bifida was the dominant type (51.0%). Survival was 89.9% at ≥24 weeks compared to only 1% at less than 24 weeks (p<0.001). Logistic regression identified gestational age as the only independent predictor of survival (OR=0.744, 95% confidence interval:0.555-0.997, p=0.048). These findings emphasise the importance of early diagnosis, prenatal screening and region-specific preventive strategies.