anencephaly

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anencephaly (an-en-sef-ăli) n. partial or complete absence of the bones of the rear of the skull, the meninges, and the cerebral hemispheres of the brain. It occurs as a developmental defect and most affected infants are stillborn; if born live they do not survive for more than a few hours. See also alpha-fetoprotein.
—anencephalic adj.

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