Low maternal serum concentrations of XXXX chorionic gonadotropin as part of the triple test screening: a follow-up study.

@entity1 @entity2008 @entity11111 @entity1465
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether low maternal serum concentrations of @entity1 chorionic gonadotropin ( @entity1465 ) were associated with poor pregnancy outcome. METHODS: Between 1999 and 2000, 20,880 @entity1 underwent triple test screening in our hospital. The levels of @entity1465 were detected by fluorescent immunoassay. Low @entity1465 levels (< or = 0.20 MoM in our center) were considered to be a marker for increased risk for trisomy 18 or adverse pregnancy outcome. Each @entity1 completed a questionnaire regarding fetal karyotype, complications of pregnancy and pregnancy outcome. RESULTS: Low maternal serum concentrations of @entity1465 were detected in 119 pregnancies (0.57%). Of these, 19 (16%) were found to be missed abortions. The distribution of the remaining 100 cases was as follows: 72% had an isolated low @entity1465 level, 24% had a low @entity1465 level and a combination of @entity1465 + alpha-fetoprotein < 0.80 MoM, and 4% had a low @entity1465 level and a combination of @entity1465 + unconjugated @entity11111 < 0.80 MoM. No trisomy 18 or other @entity2008 were detected in our @entity1 population. However, there were perinatal complications. CONCLUSION: Based on our screened population, a combination of multiple analytes seemed to be a better marker than an isolated finding of low maternal serum concentrations of @entity1465 with regards to abnormal fetal karyotype, specifically trisomy 18, although it did determine a high-risk group in terms of complications of pregnancy.
