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Maternal serum markers in second‐trimester oligohydramnios
Author(s) -
Los Frans J.,
Hagenaars Adriana M.,
CohenOverbeek Titia E.,
Quartero Hendrik W. P.
Publication year - 1994
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.1970140709
Subject(s) - oligohydramnios , medicine , obstetrics , fetus , population , second trimester , genitourinary system , pregnancy , amniotic fluid , gynecology , physiology , biology , genetics , environmental health
The levels of the maternal serum markers alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), and unconjugated oestriol (uE 3 ) in 35 pregnant women with early second‐trimester oligohydramnios differed from those in a reference population of 1699 singleton pregnancies. Maternal serum AFP levels above the 95th centile of the population distribution were observed in 80 per cent (16/20) of oligohydramnios cases with a normal fetus and in only 20 per cent (3/15) of the cases with a fetus displaying urogenital tract malformations. Elevated levels of hCG (above the 95th centile) and decreased levels of uE 3 (below the fifth centile) were encountered in 26 per cent (9/35) and 17 per cent (6/35) of the women, irrespective of the fetal condition. The abnormal profile of the serum markers in early second‐trimester oligohydramnios resulted in 57 per cent (20 out of 35) of screen‐positive cases for either fetal Down's syndrome or neural tube defects, compared with 8·4 per cent (143 out of 1699) in the reference population.