[The incidence of external congenital malformations at the Hospital de Ginecopediatría No. 48 in León, Guanajuato].

From June 1st, 1989 to May 31st, 1990, 16,987 consecutive newborns were examined at the No. 48 Gynecological Pediatric Hospital of the IMSS National Medical Center, looking for external congenital malformations including esophageal atresias, anorectal malformations and congenital hip luxations, all easily detected during a routine exploration. Each deformed newborn assigned two control patients the following two newborn babies showing no birth defects. 308 deformed newborns were detected, an incidence of 1.81%. Among the most frequent defects were midline flat hemangiomas, polyotia, Down syndrome, congenital hip luxation and myelomeningocele. The only significant statistical difference found with respect to the control group was a greater family history of defects in the case group (P less than 0.0001). When comparing our results with those from other studies, including a study done locally 15 years ago, we found differences among specific malformations: congenital hip malformation, polydactylia, foot deformities, flat hemangiomas, nevus and polyotias. Yet, the overall frequency of defects found was similar.