EVALUATION OF MEASUREMENT OF MATERNAL PLASMA ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN LEVELS AS A SCREENING TEST FOR FETAL NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS

  1. E. B. Bond1,
  2. W. Thompson1,
  3. J. H. Elwood2,
  4. G. W. Cran3

Article first published online: 23 AUG 2005

DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1977.tb12655.x

Issue

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Volume 84, Issue 8, pages 574–577, August 1977

Additional Information

How to Cite

Bond, E. B., Thompson, W., Elwood, J. H. and Cran, G. W. (1977), EVALUATION OF MEASUREMENT OF MATERNAL PLASMA ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN LEVELS AS A SCREENING TEST FOR FETAL NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 84: 574–577. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1977.tb12655.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Midwifery and Gynaecology, The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland

  2. 2

    Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland

  3. 3

    Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 AUG 2005
  2. Article first published online: 23 AUG 2005

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Summary

Maternal plasma alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were estimated on 1844 consecutive patients at the time of their first hospital antenatal visits. There were 28 pregnancies with an ‘abnormal’ outcome: 19 patients had twins, 3 had an anencephalic fetus, and 6 a fetus with a spina bifida (4 of these had an open neural tube defect). Evaluation of maternal plasma AFP levels as a screening test for neural tube defects at 15 to 19 weeks gestation indicated a sensitivity of 50 per cent taking the‘cut-off’point as the 95th centile of the plasma AFP levels in pregnancy with a normal outcome.

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