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In a 24-month prospective screening programme 6020 pregnant women were examined with diagnostic ultrasound at 17 and 3 2 weeks gestation. In a total of 23 (0.38%) abnormalities, four cases of urinary tract and two of intestinal tract abnormalities were discovered. The antenatal diagnosis influenced the management of these disorders both before and after birth.Congenital anomalies that affect the newborn are often surgically correctable (Hobbins et al. 1979; Canty et al. 1982), and reduction in morbidity and mortality may be achieved by earlier, more precise diagnoses and prompt correction. The antenatal recognition of surgical disorders by ultrasound examination has brought changes in the perinatal and postnatal management and improved the prognosis for the infant (Touloukian & Hobbins 1980; Harrison e t a / .

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The aganglionic intestine in Hirschsprung's disease displays a severe neuronal derangement. The changes are particularly evident in the muscular innervation. In the gut the endocrine cells are among the cells known to be influenced by neurons. We have, therefore, examined the endocrine cells in ganglionic and aganglionic intestine using immunocytochemistry and immunochemistry. The endocrine cells were studied using antibodies against the neuroendocrine marker chromogranin A, the amine serotonin and the hormonal peptides somatostatin, glucagon/glicentin and peptide YY (PYY), thus covering virtually all endocrine cell types known to occur in this region. The PYY concentration in the mucosal layer was measured by radioimmunoassay. In ganglionic as well as in aganglionic intestine large populations of cells storing chromogranin A, serotonin, glucagon and PYY and a smaller population of somatostatin cells were seen. There was an increase in the density of these cells in the aganglionic intestine compared with ganglionic. The data indicate that the endocrine cell populations in the intestinal wall can be maintained despite severe derangements of the nerve supply.

Objective: More and more young obese women get pregnant after undergoing gastric bypass surgery (GBP) but little is known about weight development in their offspring. The first aim of this study was to investigate weight development of children whose mothers have undergone GBP before pregnancy and compare them to age specific reference values in Sweden. Second aim was to study the frequency of small for gestational age (SGA) in this population. Materials and methods: Weight of offspring (38 male and 28 female) where the mother had undergone GBP before pregnancy were studied from birth up to 18 months of age and compared to age-specific reference values in Sweden. Results: The boys to mothers who had undergone GBP before pregnancy weighed more than Swedish reference values at 6 months, 8.44 ± 1.18 kilogram (kg) (n = 35) vs. 7.98 ± 0.81 kg (n = 1388; p = 0.001), and less at 18 months, 11.54 ± 0.93 kg (n = 19) vs. 12.27 ± 1.19 kg (n = 862; p < 0.001). The girls to mothers who had undergone GBP before pregnancy weighed more than Swedish reference values at 6 months, 7.84 ± 1.00 kg (n = 28) vs. 7.50 ± 0.77 kg (n = 1375; p = 0.020). Frequency of SGA was 3.0%. Conclusion: No clear pattern was found concerning the short-term weight development of the children. However, studies with larger material and more follow up time must be performed.