[The significance of screening tests for aneuploidies in populations at low and high maternal-age-related risk].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the triple test and the screen test in maternal populations at low and high maternal-age-related risk for fetal aneuploidy.


METHODS
As a whole, 9,680 pregnant women at low risk and 627 at high risk underwent the triple test; 2,780 pregnant women at low risk and 408 at high risk underwent the screen or combined test; sensitivity, specificity, false positives and detection rate were compared between populations using Student's t-test.


RESULTS
The triple test showed a detection rate of 75% in the low and 83.3% in the high risk population with a difference (P<0.003) for detection of trisomies 21 and 18 between the 2 populations; the screen test had a detection rates of 100% and 90% in the 2 populations, respectively, with a difference (P<0.005) between the 2 tests.


CONCLUSIONS
Both tests are reliable for screening aneuploidies in the low risk population, the screen test having better performance; in the high risk population, the number of invasive procedures can be reduced by 78% with the triple test and by 84% with the screen test.
Centini
G
G
Centro di Diagnosi Prenatale, Dipartimento di Pediatria, Ostetricia e Medicina della Riproduzione, Università degli Studi di Siena, Siena, Italy. centini@unisi.it
Rosignoli
L
L
Scarinci
R
R
Pasqui
L
L
Talluri
B
B
Kenanidis
A
A
Faldini
E
E
Cazzavacca
R
R
Petraglia
F
F
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D014314:Trisomy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*