title: Maternal serum screening for neural tube defects and fetal chromosome abnormalities.
abstract: Second-trimester maternal serum screening is a noninvasive means of identifying pregnant women at an increased risk for various conditions including a fetus with open spina bifida, fetal Down syndrome, trisomy 18, multiple gestation, and adverse pregnancy outcome. Combinations of several different markers are available for screening. These include alpha-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin, and unconjugated estriol. In this review, we discuss the benefits and limitations of the screening tests and the suggested protocols for the care of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia 19104.
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Mennuti
mesh_terms: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000175:diagnosis*; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D004964:Estriol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D030342:Genetic Diseases, Inborn; D006801:Humans; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood; D037841:Pregnant People; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D004964:Estriol