title: First trimester maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein in fetal trisomies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the potential value of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein concentration in the detection of fetal trisomy at 10 to 13 weeks gestation and to examine the possible association between maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein and fetal nuchal translucency thickness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital Medical School, London.
  
  
  METHODS
  Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein concentration was measured at 10 to 13 weeks gestation in samples from 57 pregnancies with fetal trisomies (trisomy 21 (n = 35), trisomy 18 (n = 16), and trisomy 13 (n = 6)) in 228 matched controls in whom the fetal nuchal translucency was < 3 mm and in 114 chromosomally normal fetuses with translucency > or = 3 mm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the control group maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein increased significantly with fetal crown-rump length (r = 0.451). In this group, the median maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein was not significantly different from that in the groups with trisomy 21 (median = 0.84 MoM), trisomy 18 (median = 0.86 MoM), or trisomy 13 (median = 0.94 MoM), respectively. Neither in the control group nor in the group with trisomic fetuses was maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein significantly associated with fetal nuchal translucency thickness (r = 0.01 and r = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measurement of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein concentration in the first trimester of pregnancy is not likely to be useful in the prediction of fetal trisomies.
authors.affiliation: Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Brizot
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Bersinger
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Snijders
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Nicolaides
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002882:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 13; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018568:Crown-Rump Length; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D014314:Trisomy; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins