Clinical follow-up of high mid-trimester maternal serum intact human chorionic gonadotrophin concentrations in singleton pregnancies.
Mid-trimester biochemical screening of 38 143 pregnancies in south-east Scotland revealed 127 cases (0.34 per cent) in which the maternal serum (MS) intact human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) concentration was > or = 4 multiples of the median in singleton pregnancies (MOM). Three were lost to follow-up but in 72 (58 per cent) complications developed or there were associated fetal abnormalities. This percentage was greatest at very high hCG concentrations, 92 per cent with hCG > or = 10 MOM (n = 12) compared with 48 per cent with hCG concentrations of 4-4.99 MOM (n=69). 22 cases had an MS alpha-fetoprotein > or = 2 MOM in addition to an MS hCG > or = 4 MOM, and in only 3 of these was the pregnancy uneventful; 86 per cent were associated with abnormalities or pregnancy complications.
Blundell
G
G
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.
Ashby
J P
JP
Martin
C
C
Shearing
C H
CH
Langdale-Brown
B
B
Keeling
J
J
Ellis
P M
PM
Shade
M
M
Chambers
S E
SE
Wenham
P R
PR
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000175:diagnosis; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D002885:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 16; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008423:Maternal Age; D009030:Mosaicism; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012606:Scotland; D014314:Trisomy
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin