title: First trimester maternal serum placenta growth factor (PIGF)concentrations in pregnancies with fetal trisomy 21 or trisomy 18.
abstract: Placenta growth factor (PIGF), an angiogenic factor belonging to the vascular endothelial growth factor family, pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and free beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (beta-hCG) were measured in maternal serum from 45 pregnancies with trisomy 21, 45 with trisomy 18 and 493 normal controls at 10-13 completed weeks of gestation. In the normal pregnancies maternal serum PIGF levels increased exponentially with gestation. The median multiple of the median (MoM) PIGF concentration in the trisomy 21 group (1.26 MoM) was significantly higher (p<0.0001) than in the control group (1.00 MoM). In the trisomy 18 group the median PIGF was lower (0.889 MoM) but this did not quite reach significance (p=0.064). The corresponding median MoM values for PAPP-A were 1.00 MoM for the controls, 0.49 MoM for trisomy 21 and 0.16 MoM for trisomy 18. The median MoM values for free beta-hCG were 1.00 MoM for the controls, 2.05 MoM for trisomy 21 and 0.38 MoM for trisomy 18. In the control group there was a small but significant correlation of PIGF with free beta-hCG (r=+0.1024) and PAPP-A (r=+0.2288). In the trisomy 18 group there was a significant association between PIGF and free beta-hCG (r=+0.2629) but not with PAPP-A (r=+0.0038). In the trisomy 21 group there was a small but significant association with PAPP-A (r=+0.1028) but not with free beta-hCG (r=+0.0339). The separation of affected and unaffected pregnancies in maternal serum PIGF is small, and therefore it is unlikely that measurement of PIGF would improve screening for these abnormalities provided by the combination of fetal nuchal translucency and maternal serum PAPP-A and free beta-hCG.
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Unit, Clinical Biochemistry Department, Harold Wood Hospital, Gubbins Lane, Romford, Essex RM3 0BE, UK. KevinSpencer1@cs.com
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Geerts
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Nicolaides
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents / Q000097:blood*; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human / Q000097:blood; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000097:blood*; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009333:Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A / Q000032:analysis; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; C000608036:PGF protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A