Successful tissue donation in the anencephalic baby

Anencephaly is a rare phenomenon, occurring in 4.7/10 000 births, which results from failure of primary neural tube closure during fetal development (Collins et al, 2013). It is a lethal condition comprising absence of skull bones, forebrain and upper brainstem. The cranial neural tissue is exposed (Tasker et al, 2013). The aetiology of this condition is unknown (Stumpf et al, 1990). Many congenital defects are now diagnosed by antenatal diagnosis as early as 11 weeks' gestation (Sadler, 2012). A severe lesion, such as that found in the two cases reported in this article, is incompatible with life. This article reports on two consecutive cases of anencephaly at the same hospital, in which both sets of parents independently wished to continue their pregnancies till term in order to provide tissue donation, primarily heart valves. The donation of other organs may be considered in cases of anencephaly, although this is not always possible.