Incidence of associated anomalies in children with anorectal malformation: A 1-year prospective observational study in a low-income setting

Anorectal malformations (ARMs) consist of a range of anomalies that are often associated with other anomalies The purpose of the study is to assess the incidence of associated congenital anomalies that are seen in patients with ARMs. An observational prospective study was conducted on 162 cases with ARM from February 2019 to January 2020, and data were collected on patient demographics, type of ARM, and associated anomalies using a prestructured questionnaire and analysis done using SPSS (IBM), version 23, software. Relevant statistical analysis was done, and the results are presented in tables and charts. Of 162 cases studied, 70 of them were males and 92 were females with a male-to-female ratio of 0.76:1. The majority of male patients (45%) had rectourethral fistulas, whereas 63% of the females had rectovestibular fistula. While 76 (47%) patients presented with isolated ARM, 86 (53%) had ≥1 associated congenital malformations. Forty-eight (30%) patients presented with a single associated anomaly, whereas 20 (12%) patients had≥3 associated anomalies. The commonest associated anomalies were urologic 26.5% followed by genital (22.8%), cardiac 20.4%, and musculoskeletal 16.6%, and 12.3% of them had vertebral; anorectal; cardiac; tracheoesophageal fistula; renal; limb association. More than half of the children have other associated abnormalities. We found urogenital anomalies to be the most common associated congenital defects. A lower incidence of cardiac and spinal cord anomalies was noted suggesting a need for active workup to be in line with the latest standards of care.