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Prenatal diagnosis in the Netherlands, 1991–2000: number of invasive procedures, indications, abnormal results and terminations of pregnancy
Author(s) -
Nagel H. T. C.,
Knegt A. C.,
Kloosterman M. D.,
Wildschut H. I. J.,
Leschot N. J.,
Vandenbussche F. P. H. A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/pd.1659
Subject(s) - amniocentesis , medicine , prenatal diagnosis , pregnancy , advanced maternal age , obstetrics , chorionic villus sampling , fetus , neural tube defect , chorionic villi , prenatal screening , gynecology , genetics , biology
Objective To provide an overview of invasive prenatal diagnosis in the Netherlands and to analyse trends. Methods Annual results from all centres for invasive prenatal diagnosis in the Netherlands over the period 1991–2000 were combined and described, with particular emphasis on indications, abnormal results, type of invasive procedures, and terminations of pregnancy. Results The percentage of invasive prenatal diagnosis increased from 5% of births in 1991 to 6% in 1996 and subsequently remained at that level. During the study period, the number of pregnant women aged 36 and older increased by 70%, but the number of procedures performed because of maternal age remained stable. The detection rate for abnormal results was 2–3% for maternal age and rose from 9 to 13% for other indications. Other trends during the study period included a relative decrease in cordocentesis (−82%) and chorionic villi biopsy (−18%) in favour of amniocentesis (+48%), and a strong decrease in the number of amniocentesis procedures for increased risk of neural tube defect. In 71% of the cases with abnormal results, the pregnancy was terminated. Conclusion There was a significant decrease in the percentage of pregnant women aged 36 or older who underwent invasive prenatal diagnosis without previous screening. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.