Anencephaly is a serious developmental defect of the central nervous system in which the brain and cranial vault are grossly malformed. The cerebrum and cerebellum are reduced or absent, but the hindbrain is present. Anencephaly is a severe neural tube defect typically considered incompatible with prolonged postnatal survival, and as such, surgical intervention is not commonly indicated. Anencephaly is a condition that prevents the normal development of the brain and the bones of the skull. Explore symptoms, inheritance, genetics of this condition. Anencephaly is a condition in which major portions of the brain, skull, and scalp are absent. It is the most severe and single most common prenatally detected spinal cord (neural tube) defect (Goldstein and Filly, 1988). Although the upper portions of the brain (the cerebral hemispheres) can develop in this condition, any exposed brain tissue is eventually destroyed. As a result, the brain will appear as a bloody (hemorrhagic) mass of tissue fibers. The cerebral cortex, the portion of the ...
