HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Maternal serum triple analyte screening in pregnancy.

Abstract
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, it has become standard in prenatal care to offer screening tests for neural tube defects and genetic abnormalities. There have been some changes in the recommended method of prenatal screening over the past few years, and research to improve detection rates with better combinations of maternal serum analytes is ongoing. The issues facing physicians are the sensitivity and specificity of multiple serum analyte combinations. The current maternal serum analytes in use in most areas are alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and unconjugated estriol. Measurement of AFP alone can detect the vast majority of neural tube defects and a small portion of trisomy 21-affected pregnancies in patients of all ages. Adding hCG and unconjugated estriol to this screen increases the rate of detection of trisomies 21 and 18. Counseling patients about the risks and benefits of such screening is important to provide a balanced discussion of screening issues.
AuthorsJ Christopher Graves, Karl E Miller, Angela D Sellers
JournalAmerican family physician (Am Fam Physician) Vol. 65 Issue 5 Pg. 915-20 (Mar 01 2002) ISSN: 0002-838X [Print] United States
PMID11898965 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
Chemical References
  • Chorionic Gonadotropin
  • alpha-Fetoproteins
  • Estriol
Topics
  • Adult
  • Chorionic Gonadotropin (blood)
  • Estriol (blood)
  • Female
  • Genetic Counseling
  • Humans
  • Neural Tube Defects (diagnosis)
  • Pregnancy
  • Prenatal Diagnosis (economics, methods)
  • Trisomy (diagnosis)
  • alpha-Fetoproteins (metabolism)

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: