ANTENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS

The Medical Journal of AustraliaPublished 1 July 1976

Barbara Field, Gillian Mitchell, Charles Kerr

DOI10.5694/j.1326-5377.1976.tb141541.x

Source URL

Citations6

SJR quartileQ1

SJR score1.51

SNIP1.48

TL;DR

One hundred women with pregnancies at risk for the recurrence of neural tube defects have entered the monitoring programme of echography and alphafetoprotein estimation on amniotic fluid and maternal serum during the second trimester, and conclusions regarding the value and reliability of the tests are made.

Abstract

One hundred women with pregnancies at risk for the recurrence of neural tube defects have entered our monitoring programme of echography and alphafetoprotein estimation (AFP) on amniotic fluid and maternal serum during the second trimester. The results of these pregnancies, the application of the programme, sources of error, and the reliability of alphafetoprotein levels are discussed. Conclusions regarding the value of the tests and routine antenatal screening are made.

Keywords

Medicine

The LancetALPHA-FETOPROTEIN IN THE ANTENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF ANENCEPHALY AND SPINA BIFIDA

602 Citations1972D. J. H. Brock, R. Sutcliffe

Results suggest that amniotic-fluid-A.F.P. measurements will be valuable in the early antenatal diagnosis of anencephaly and spina bifida and will enable termination of these pregnancies.

International Journal of CancerStudies of carcino‐fetal proteins. III. Development of a radioimmunoassay for α‐fetoprotein. Demonstration of α‐fetoprotein in serum of healthy human adults

278 Citations1971Erkki Ruoslahti, Markku Seppälä

A radioimmunoassay for human α‐fetoprotein (α‐FP) was developed and covers completely the thousandfold concentration gap between the α‐FP levels in normal human serum and the level detectable by immunodiffusion.

The LancetULTRASOUND IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF SPINA BIFIDA

98 Citations1975Stuart Campbell, J. Pryse‐Davies +3 more

Three patients who were at risk of having a baby with a neural-tube defect were investigated by ultrasonic examination and alpha-fetoprotein (A;F.P.) estimation and it was concluded that ultrasonicexamination is an important diagnostic technique in the antneatal investigation of spina bifida.

BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & GynaecologyAMNIOTIC FLUlD α<sub>1</sub> FETOPROTEIN IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF NEURAL TRACT MALFORMATIONS

21 Citations1975Charles R. Stewart, A. Milford Ward +1 more

Elevated levels of α1 fetoprotein were detected in 17 out of 18 pregnancies which gave rise to infants with neural tract abnormalities, and the significance of this test in the antenatal diagnosis of Neural tract abnormalities is discussed.

The Medical Journal of AustraliaPRENATAL DIAGNOSIS AND SELECTIVE ABORTION FOR ANENCEPHALY AND SPINA BIFIDA

12 Citations1974Barbara Field, Gillian Mitchell +2 more

Estimation of amniotic fluid alpha fetoprotein levels and ultrasonic echography of the fetus can be exploited to diagnose neural tube defects in the 14 to 16‐week‐old fetus and provide parents with an option for abortion of a malformed fetus and thus prevent births of infants with anencephaly or spina bifida.