Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 in the detection of fetal Down syndrome pregnancies.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To study the usefulness of maternal serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, a potential cell growth inhibitor, in second trimester prenatal screening for fetal Down syndrome.

METHODS:

Three hundred and forty-two samples from normal pregnancies and nine fetal Down syndrome pregnancies were analyzed for insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 levels by radioimmunoassay. Data were converted to multiples of median (MoM) and analyzed statistically to compare the differences between control and Down syndrome pregnancies.

RESULTS:

The mean insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 MoM of Down syndrome-affected pregnancies (1.09) was significantly higher than that of the normal pregnancies (1.00) (P < .01). Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, in combination with maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP), hCG, and maternal age, detected 89% of Down syndrome pregnancies at a screen positive rate of 2.1%. This compares favorably to the standard combination of MSAFP, hCG, and unconjugated estriol (E3), which had a 66.7% Down syndrome detection rate and a 4.1% screen positive rate in our study samples.

CONCLUSION:

This retrospective analysis suggested that the inclusion of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 into the triple screen program to replace unconjugated E3 might enhance the detection rate of fetal Down syndrome pregnancies. These data need to be confirmed by a larger prospective study.

• Authors: D C Chu, C Hsu, K D Wenstrom, L R Boots
• Journal: Obstetrics and gynecology (Obstet Gynecol) Vol. 91 Issue 2 Pg. 192-5 (Feb 1998) ISSN: 0029-7844 [Print] United States
• PMID: 9469274 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Chorionic Gonadotropin
• Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3
• alpha-Fetoproteins
• Estriol

Topics

• Adult
• Biomarkers (blood)
• Chorionic Gonadotropin (blood)
• Down Syndrome (diagnosis)
• Estriol (blood)
• Female
• Fetal Diseases (diagnosis)
• Humans
• Infant, Newborn
• Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 (blood)
• Logistic Models
• Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Trimester, Second
• Prenatal Diagnosis
• Radioimmunoassay
• Retrospective Studies
• alpha-Fetoproteins (analysis)