Amniotic Fluid Acetylcholinesterase Electrophoresis as a Secondary Test in the Diagnosis of Anencephaly and Open Spina Bifida in Early Pregnancy

1982 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-172
Author(s):  
N. J. WALD ◽  
H. S. CUCKLE
1981 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 1658-1660 ◽  
Author(s):  
P K Buamah ◽  
P Taylor ◽  
A M Ward

Abstract Concanavalin A nonreactive alpha-fetoprotein was determined in samples of amniotic fluid from 16 abnormal pregnancies complicated by anencephaly (7), open spina bifida (6), intra-uterine death (1), anencephaly with exomphalos (1), or open spina bifida with exomphalos (1), and in amniotic fluid from 50 normal pregnancies with gestational age between 13 and 24 weeks. In all 16 cases with fetal malformations, the proportion of nonreactive alpha-fetoprotein was significantly decreased (median 5.3%) as compared with amniotic fluid from pregnancies with a normal outcome (median 39.7%). The results confirm that this measurement is useful in the diagnosis of neural tube defects, especially when the concentration of alpha-fetoprotein in amniotic fluid is normal or only slightly above normal and gestational age is uncertain.


Author(s):  
K Spencer ◽  
P Carpenter

Normal values for neurone specific enolase in amniotic fluid have been found to follow a non gaussian distribution with a 1–99 centile range of 1·10–4·32 μg/L. Neurone specific enolase levels have been shown to be raised in the amniotic fluid of pregnancies complicated by anencephaly, although not those complicated by open spina bifida. Neurone specific enolase measured by radioimmunoassay is capable of totally discriminating between normal pregnancies and those complicated by anencephaly. The study demonstrates the possible value of investigating other neuronal proteins which may find value as adjuncts to amniotic fluid Alpha fetoprotein levels in the prenatal diagnosis of Neural Tube Defects.


Author(s):  
Padraig Looney ◽  
Yi Yin ◽  
Sally L. Collins ◽  
Kypros H. Nicolaides ◽  
Walter Plasencia ◽  
...  

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