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The objective was to determine maternal anxiety and attitudes associated with a programme of neonatal screening and investigation for occult spinal dysraphism. Questionnaires were completed after diagnostic investigation (time 1) and 6 months later (time 2) by 83 mothers of babies with possible markers of occult spinal dysraphism who were normal on spinal ultrasound. Outcome measures were: attitudes to the programme; maternal adjustment and attitudes to the baby; the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Fifty-four other postnatal mothers formed the comparison group for maternal adjustment. No significant differences were found between investigation group (time 1) and comparisons on measures of maternal adjustment. Anxious mothers gave more negative responses to some maternal adjustment items but not to attitudes to the programme. Mean state anxiety at time 1 (33.66) and time 2 (33.69) and mean trait anxiety (36.23) were not higher than in mothers of normal babies. It can be concluded that a programme of investigation for neonatal abnormalities that pays attention to detail need not cause excessive maternal anxiety. However, some mothers remain anxious even after receiving normal results. Anxiety can be assessed during appraisal of a new investigation programme, but refinements are needed.

Some skin lesions over the spine are known to be associated with occult spinal dysraphism, but the significance of common skin lesions, such as sacral pits and dimples, is uncertain. In this prospective study, 95 neonates (1.9% of 4989 live births) were referred with possible markers of occult spinal dysraphism. Seven of 94 babies examined had abnormalities demonstrated by spinal ultrasound, compared with 5 of 105 controls. In 2 of 94 and 3 of 105 of these, the conus medullaris was located at L3 but no other abnormalities were found. Of the 75 babies with a sacral dimple or pit alone, none had an abnormality, suggesting that these skin lesions do not indicate a high risk of occult spinal dysraphism.