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Evaluating fetomaternal hemorrhage by alphafetoprotein and Kleihauer following therapeutic abortions
Author(s) -
Hay D.L.,
Horacek I.,
Paull J.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/0020-7292(82)90037-6
Subject(s) - gestation , medicine , fetus , obstetrics , fetal hemoglobin , hemoglobin , pregnancy , gynecology , andrology , biology , genetics
In a survey of 75 patients at 6–11 weeks gestation, fetomaternal hemorrhage (FMH) was detected by significant rises (>2 S.D.) in maternal alphafetoprotein (AFP) levels in 57% of patients, while increased fetal cells were detected by the Kleihauer test in 24% of patients. With increasing gestation, FMH was detected more readily by both tests; however, in evaluating FMH at less than 10 weeks gestation, AFP was found to be a more sensitive and reliable marker than the Kleihauer test. We suggest that there is a gray zone for the Kleihauer test in early gestation, when erythroblasts containing embryonic hemoglobins are gradually replaced in the fetal circulation by erythrocytes containing fetal hemoglobin.