[Congenital malformations: care or predict?].

Abstract

Spectacular scientific and technological advances made in the last decade have had such a profound impact on biological and medical science that they have dramatically modified the citizen's behaviour concerning life events, especially congenital malformation. Prenatal diagnosis (PND) leads to do the diagnosis of almost all fetal internal and external malformations. The matter is, not only to care, but, first to know. The positive efficiency of PND is sometimes preparing the best cares and, of course, to recognize many severe anomalies postnatally diagnosed before PND time, and carrying wellknown 50% rate mortality by neo-natal surgery. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is pointed out as a good example of it, and of hopes and disappointing in utero foetal surgery. New protocol of assessment of fetal renal function is an appreciated method to do prognosis of some fetal uropathies before late in utero drainage, for a short time waiting for necessary maturation of lungs allowing premature delivery. The possibility to do PND of small and benign malformation leads to ask for the question of utility of to know. In spite of the respect of quality of life, can we really allow this type of human selection to be made? The next knowledges of the human genoma map bring us into the predictive medicine. Using "compulsory" PND is a real risk to practice dangerously, a soft eugenism. PND must be, and remain an outstanding advance to provide better treatment.