title: Prenatal screening for open neural tube defects.
abstract: The era of prenatal screening for serious birth defects began in the 1970s with the discovery that amniotic fluid and maternal serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were increased in pregnancies affected by fetal open neural tube defects. Since then, prenatal screening has become a part of routine obstetric care. In this article, the use of AFP in prenatal screening for open neural tube defects is discussed in the context of the laboratory and the laboratory's interactions with the practicing obstetrician.
authors.affiliation: Division of Prenatal and Special Testing, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Women and Infants Hospital, Brown Medical School, 101 Dudley Street, Providence, RI 02905-2401, USA. jcanick@wihri.org
authors.forename: Jacob A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Canick
authors.forename: Leonard H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Kellner
authors.forename: Allan T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Bombard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000649:Amniocentesis; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins