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VERY LOW MATERNAL PLASMA ALPHA‐FETOPROTEIN CONCENTRATION AN INDICATION FOR FOLLOW‐UP
Author(s) -
Stein Shirley M.,
Watt Muriel S.,
Scrimgeour John B.
Publication year - 1981
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.1471-0528.1981.tb01221.x
Subject(s) - gestation , alpha fetoprotein , fetus , medicine , obstetrics , neural tube , alpha (finance) , pregnancy , plasma levels , surgery , biology , embryo , construct validity , genetics , hepatocellular carcinoma , patient satisfaction , microbiology and biotechnology
Summary In the course of a screening programme for the detection of fetal neural tube abnormalities by measurement of maternal plasma alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP), 57 patients were identified who had plasma AFP levels of less than 7 units/ml at 15–20 weeks gestation. Follow‐up at the time of screening included requests to confirm that the patient was pregnant and also to repeat the AFP test. Two patients were lost to follow‐up and of the remaining 55, 17 patients (31 per cent) were subsequently shown not to have a live fetus and 31 patients (56 per cent) had in‐correct estimates of gestation. No particular reason for the very low plasma AFP could be identified in the other seven patients.