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SCREENING FOR FETAL NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS BY MATERNAL PLASMA ALPHA‐FETOPROTEIN DETERMINATION
Author(s) -
Clarke P. C.,
Gordon Y. B.,
Kitau M. J.,
Chard T.,
Letchworth A. T.
Publication year - 1977
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.1471-0528.1977.tb12654.x
Subject(s) - medicine , neural tube , fetus , abortion , obstetrics , alpha fetoprotein , neural tube defect , pregnancy , biology , embryo , genetics , hepatocellular carcinoma , microbiology and biotechnology
Summary A total of 5539 consecutive pregnant patients at three maternity units in the City and Hackney District of London were screened for fetal neural tube defect by measurement of maternal plasma alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) levels. Only 25·7 per cent of women booked at 16 to 22 weeks, the optimum time for this screening test; 54·1 per cent booked before 16 weeks and 20·2 per cent after 22 weeks. Of the women tested before 23 weeks, 300 had elevated levels of AFP in plasma and 14 of them had fetuses with abnormalities known to cause a rise in AFP levels (12 fetuses had a neural tube defect and 2 had alimentary tract abnormalities). Of women examined before 23 weeks, half of those with twin pregnancies had elevated levels of plasma AFP as did 16·7 per cent of those who ultimately had a spontaneous abortion.