title: [Tri-test: clinical considerations on 1784 cases].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the triple screen serum test as a noninvasive screening test for expectant mothers > 35 years old, who are not usually considered for invasive screening for trisomy 21.
  
  
  METHODS
  1784 tri-tests (triple serum screening tests) were performed on expectant mothers between their 15th and 18th week of pregnancy, using the radioimmunological Ria-Kodak with an Alpha program (Logical Medical System LTD) with a cut-off value of 1:350.
  
  
  RESULTS
  244 positive equal to 13.60%. The percentage of false positives was respectively 12.9% (age < 35) and 28% (age > 35). Only in two of these cases did we have a positive response in amniocentesis for a fetus affected with Down syndrome. Of the 1540 patients with a negative tri-test, one woman gave birth to a fetus with Down syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study revealed a sensitivity of 66%. The elevated number of false positives has led us to decide on a variation on the cut off in the future: from 1:350 to 1:300.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Discipline Chirurgiche, Università degli Studi, L'Aquila.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caserta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moscarini
mesh_terms: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004964:Estriol / Q000097:blood; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D004964:Estriol
vernacular_title: Tri-test: considerazioni cliniche su 1784 casi.