{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,23]],"date-time":"2025-12-23T22:58:38Z","timestamp":1766530718426,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":7,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J Epidemiol Community Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1991,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to compare the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) notification system for congenital malformation surveillance and the Liverpool Congenital Malformations Registry (LCMR) with respect to efficiency and uniformity of ascertainment, diagnostic accuracy, and overreporting of minor malformations. DESIGN--Manual matching of computer listings was done, using date of birth, sex, birthweight, and health district of residence. Maternal age was used to confirm the match. SETTING--Data were collected in the English health districts of Liverpool, St Helens and Knowsley, Southport and Formby, South Sefton, and Wirral over the years 1980-1985. SUBJECTS--1959 malformed children notified to OPCS and 2649 notified to LCMR were assessed. MAIN RESULTS--35.5% of malformed children ascertained by LCMR within seven days of birth were not notified to OPCS; 35.7% of cases reported to OPCS were exclusions from the LCMR protocol as being trivial malformations according to EUROCAT (European Registry of Congenital Anomalies) guidelines. Misclassification was infrequent but in 11.2% of cases the additional malformations present were not notified to OPCS. Conditions readily diagnosed at birth, such as neural tube defects, exomphalos, and facial clefts, were well ascertained by OPCS but others such as oesophageal atresia and Down's syndrome were not. CONCLUSIONS--It is important that national surveillance of congenital malformations should continue. However, several modifications to the present OPCS monitoring system are necessary, including greater standardisation of data collection, the exclusion of trivial and clinically non-significant malformations, and the inclusion of data on therapeutic abortions performed for fetal abnormality. These issues are being addressed by OPCS.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/jech.45.4.294","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2008,11,12]],"date-time":"2008-11-12T15:10:54Z","timestamp":1226502654000},"page":"294-298","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Ascertainment of congenital malformations: a comparative study of two systems."],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"45","author":[{"given":"S J","family":"Dutton","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"J R","family":"Owens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"F","family":"Harris","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[1991,12,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"296","DOI":"10.1136\/jech.38.4.296","article-title":"The quality of notifications of congenital malformations","volume":"38","author":"Knox, E.G.; Armstrong, E.H.; Lancashire, R.","year":"1984","unstructured":"Knox EG, Armstrong EH, Lancashire R. The quality of notifications of congenital malformations. Jf Epidemiol Community Health 1984; 38: 296-305.","journal-title":"Jf Epidemiol Community Health"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"240","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-3016.1988.tb00214.x","article-title":"The Liverpool Congenital Malformations Registry","volume":"2","author":"Owens, JR, Simpkin; JM, McGuiness; L, Harris; F.","year":"1988","unstructured":"Owens JR, Simpkin JM, McGuiness L, Harris F. The Liverpool Congenital Malformations Registry. Paediatr Perinatal Epidemiol 1988; 2: 240-52.","journal-title":"Paediatr Perinatal Epidemiol"},{"key":"ref_3","article-title":"EUROCAT guide for the registration of anomalies","author":"P, De Wals","year":"1984","unstructured":"De Wals P, Mastroiacovo P, Weatherall JAC, Lechat MF, eds. EUROCAT guide for the registration of anomalies. Brussels: Catholic University of Louvain, 1984."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"227","DOI":"10.1136\/jmg.2.4.227","article-title":"Family studies and aetiology of club foot","volume":"2","author":"Wynne-Davies, R.","year":"1965","unstructured":"Wynne-Davies R. Family studies and aetiology of club foot. Med Genet 1965; 2: 227-32.","journal-title":"Med Genet"},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"56","article-title":"An epidemiological assessment of neonatal screening for dislocation ofthe hip","volume":"20","author":"Leck, I.","year":"1986","unstructured":"Leck I. An epidemiological assessment of neonatal screening for dislocation ofthe hip. R Coll Physicians Lond 1986; 20: 56-62.","journal-title":"R Coll Physicians Lond"},{"key":"ref_6","first-page":"1032","article-title":"19-year incidence of neural tube defects in an area under constant surveillance","volume":"ii:","author":"Owens, JR, McAllister; E, West; L, Harris; F.","year":"1981","unstructured":"Owens JR, McAllister E, West L, Harris F. 19-year incidence of neural tube defects in an area under constant surveillance. Lancet 1981; ii: 1032-5.","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"90","DOI":"10.1136\/jmg.20.2.90","article-title":"The incidence of Down's syndrome over a 19-year period with special reference to matemal age","volume":"20","author":"Owens, JR, Harris; F, Walker; S.","year":"1983","unstructured":"Owens JR, Harris F, Walker S, et al. The incidence of Down's syndrome over a 19-year period with special reference to matemal age. I Med Genet 1983; 20: 90-3.","journal-title":"I Med Genet"}],"container-title":["Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/jech.45.4.294","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,3]],"date-time":"2025-10-03T12:11:04Z","timestamp":1759493464000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/jech.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/jech.45.4.294"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[1991,12]]},"references-count":7,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[1991,12,1]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1991,12]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/jech.45.4.294"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/jech.45.4.294","relation":{},"ISSN":["0143-005X","1470-2738"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"0143-005X"},{"type":"electronic","value":"1470-2738"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[1991,12]]}}}