URINARY β-CORE hCG: SCREENING FOR ANEUPLOIDIES IN EARLY PREGNANCY (11–14 WEEKS' GESTATION)

✍ Scribed by M. C. M. MACINTOSH; K. H. NICOLAIDES; P. NOBLE; T. CHARD; L. GUNN; R. ILES

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 223 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0197-3851
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0223(199705)17:5<401::aid-pd40>3.0.co;2-m

✦ Synopsis

Initial studies at 17-22 weeks' gestation evaluating urinary -core human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) as a marker for Down's syndrome had suggested that it may have more potential than its serum counterpart. This study measured maternal urinary -core-hCG and creatinine at 11-14 weeks' gestation in a series of 26 aneuploidies (nine trisomy 21, five trisomy 18, four 45,X0, and eight others). The normal range for -core-hCG and -core-hCG/ creatinine was derived from 198 normal singleton pregnancies. Trisomy 18 cases (n=5) had low maternal urinary -core-hCG creatinine levels (median 0•35 MOM, range 0•08-0•82 MOM), whereas the other aneuploidies had no particular pattern; in particular, the trisomy 21 cases (n=9) (median 1•16 MOM, range 0•3-4•74 MOM) did not differ significantly from 1 MOM. The findings imply that maternal urinary -core-hCG is not as discriminating for Down's syndrome between 11 and 14 weeks as later on in pregnancy. 1997 by