Limb reduction defects text.PDF

Of all congenital anomalies, limb reduction defects maintain a high profile with the public. In the early 1960s, high rates of limb reductions were associated with expectant mothers taking the drug thalidomide. As a result of this, congenital anomaly surveillance systems were established to try and prevent further such episodes. In the late 1980s limb reductions were found to be associated with chorionic villus sampling in early pregnancy, leading to changes in obstetric practice. A further scare occurred in the early 1990s when newspapers reported clusters of cases of limb reduction defects around coastal areas of the UK, although this finding was not supported by subsequent epidemiological studies.