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AMNIOTIC FLUID COMPOSITION IN MALFORMATIONS OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
Author(s) -
Emery A. E. H.,
Eccleston D.,
Scrimgeour J.B.,
Johnstone M.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1972.tb15771.x
Subject(s) - anencephaly , spina bifida , polyhydramnios , amniotic fluid , fetus , medicine , central nervous system , gestation , urinary system , neural tube , amniocentesis , obstetrics , pregnancy , endocrinology , prenatal diagnosis , embryo , biology , pediatrics , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology
Summary In pregnancies in which the fetus had a malformation of the central nervous system (anencephaly, spina bifida, or anencephaly with spina bifida) amniotic fluid levels of 5‐hydroxyindole acetic acid (5HIAA), expressed on a protein basis, were less than in normal pregnancies of comparable gestation. This was not observed with a number of other substances present in amniotic fluid nor in 5HIAA levels in cases of polyhydramnios where the fetus was normal. The urinary excretion of 5HIAA in children with spina bifida was normal. A number of possible interpretations are discussed, including the idea that the reduced levels of 5HIAA may reflect the reduction in functioning neural tissue in more severe CNS malformations.