New Born Children with Encephalocele

Background: Encephaloceles result from failure of the surface ectoderm to separate from the neuroectoderm. We aimed to review the data of cases with occipital encephalocele. Case report: Patient records were reviewed retrospectively for encephalocele. The clinical, radiological and surgical data were evaluated. Five female newborns with occipital encephaloceles were included. All but one mother was over-aged; none consumed folic acid regularly during pregnancy. All were within normal ranges for weight and height, only two had microcephaly The size of occipital encephalocele varied between 7 cm × 6 cm and 28 cm × 20 cm. The encephaloceles were resected surgically and ventriculoperitoneal shunt was placed to all cases. One patient died early after surgery due to respiratory problems. Other cases were followedup regularly; all have motor retardation and feeding difficulty are attending to physical rehabilitation programmes. Conclusion: Prenatally diagnosed occipital encephaloceles resulted in severe morbidity. Close multidisciplinary follow-up is necessary. Folic acid consumption should be encouraged.