How valuable is measurement of peripheral blood natural killer cells at the time of abortion?
OBJECTIVE
Increased peripheral blood natural killer (NK) cells are associated to immune-mediated abortion, but their diagnostic value when measured at the time of miscarriage is unknown.


METHODS
In women with therapeutic (A = 79) or elective (C = 34) pregnancy termination, the NK-cell percentage was measured before and 5 days after curettage. Additionally, immune-mediated lesions (scored 0-3) and CD56(+) and CD16(+) decidual NKs (scored 1-3) were detected on the abortion material.


RESULTS
Aborters differed from controls in histological scores (P = 0.000) and in NK percentage (>12%) only in the measurement 5 days after the operation (P = 0.038). In comparison to histological lesions, NK measurement was found to have sensitivity 70%, specificity 73.68%, positive prognostic value 89.39% and negative prognostic value 43.75%.


CONCLUSIONS
An Increased NK-cell percentage 5 days after the pregnancy termination could be a marker of immune aetiology of miscarriage, as the probability of an aborter with NK >12% to have an immune-mediated abortion is almost 90%.
Paparistidis
Nikolaos
N
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Helena Venizelou Maternity Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Papadopoulou
Chryssa
C
Chioti
Athanassia
A
Papaioannou
Demetrios
D
Tsekoura
Christina
C
Keramitsoglou
Theodora
T
Kontopoulou-Antonopoulou
Virginia
V
Agapitos
Emmanouel
E
Balafoutas
Christos
C
Varla-Leftherioti
Marighoula
M
D000030:Abortion, Missed / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017452:Receptors, IgG / Q000032:analysis; D013997:Time Factors
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D019002:CD56 Antigen; D017452:Receptors, IgG; D007633:Keratins