congenital anomaly; birth defect
Medical term for a structural or functional abnormality present from birth. Synonymous with 先天異常.
See also: 先天異常
Causes of congenital anomalies include genetic and environmental factors.
Fetal congenital anomalies are sometimes detected by ultrasound examination.
Synonym; 先天性異常 is slightly more explicit about the congenital nature, but both are used interchangeably in medical contexts.
Compound of 先天性 (congenital) + 異常 (abnormality). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term follows standard medical kanji usage.