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Another Rueters/PointcastFrom: JT & JL Tomko (buddy@redrose.net)Thu Dec 4 17:17:44 1997
Thought this was quite interesting too. • Quick Search on this topic from InteliHealth • Tell Me More - From Infoseek • Medical Journals from Medline • Health Encyclopedia from Johns Hopkins • Drug Database from USP Click Here Ultrasound Detects Down's Syndrome December 4, 1997 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Doctors may be able to detect fetal abnormalities such as Down's syndrome earlier in pregnancy by using ultrasound, a new study suggests. The technique looks for fluid accumulation in the neck of the fetus, or nuchal translucency, and can be performed from 10 to 16 weeks of pregnancy. Blood tests are usually performed at 15 to 16 weeks of pregnancy and pick up about 60% of cases of Down's syndrome. The new test picked up 62% of fetuses with Down's syndrome, or other chromosome abnormalities, according to the report in The New England Journal of Medicine. The study was conducted in 10,010 pregnant women who ranged in age from 16 to 39 and lived in Helsinki, Finland. Overall, 0.8% or 76 fetuses were found to have nuchal translucency by ultrasound, but only 18, or 24%, of those turned out to actually have a chromosome abnormality, reported Dr. Pekka Taipale of the Helsinki University Central Hospital. A positive result is confirmed by performing an amniocentesis or chorionic-villus sampling, techniques in which cells are collected from the developing fetus and tested. These tests carry a small risk of miscarriage, regardless of whether or not the fetus has chromosome abnormalities. About 5% of women have a positive result if they undergo a blood test - five times the number detected by ultrasound - so the use of ultrasound may cut down on unnecessary invasive testing, according to the authors. However, more study of the technique is needed before putting it into practice, according to Dr. John Seeds, of the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. The difference between a positive and negative test may hinge on a few millimeters of space on an ultrasound, and may result in wide variation in test results. And about 6% of the ultrasound tests are positive even though a fetus is normal, a false positive rate similar to that of blood tests. Combining the two tests together could lead to even more women undergoing amniocentesis unnecessarily. "I do not believe that there is yet sufficient experience with screening for increased fetal nuchal translucency in low-risk women to justify adoption of this technique," Seeds wrote in an editorial accompanying the report. SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine (1997;337:1654-1658) Copyright 1997 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before starting a new fitness regimen.
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