J Genet Med.  2017 Jun;14(1):1-7. 10.5734/JGM.2017.14.1.1.

First trimester screening for trisomy 18 by a combination of nuchal translucency thickness and epigenetic marker level

• Lee DE
• Kim SY
• Kim HJ
• Park SY
• Kim MH
• Han YJ
• Ryu HM

• KMID: 2386602
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5734/JGM.2017.14.1.1

Abstract

PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic efficacy of noninvasive prenatal screening for trisomy 18 by assessing the levels of unmethylated-maspin (U-maspin) and fetal nuchal translucency (NT) thickness during the first trimester of pregnancy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A nested case-control study was conducted using maternal plasma samples collected from 65 pregnant women carrying 11 fetuses with trisomy 18 and 54 normal fetuses. We compared the U-maspin levels, NT thicknesses, or a combination of both in the first trimester between the case and control groups.
RESULTS
U-maspin levels and NT thickness were significantly elevated in the first trimester in pregnant women carrying fetuses with trisomy 18 when compared to those carrying normal fetuses (27.2 vs. 6.6 copies/mL, P<0.001 for U-maspin; 5.9 vs. 2.0mm, P<0.001 for NT). The sensitivities of the U-maspin levels and NT thickness in prenatal screening for fetal trisomy 18 were 90.9% and 90.9%, respectively, with a specificity of 98.1%. The combined U-maspin levels and NT thickness had a sensitivity of 100% in prenatal screening for fetal trisomy 18, with a specificity of 98.1%.
CONCLUSION
A combination of U-maspin levels and NT thickness is highly efficacious for noninvasive prenatal screening of fetal trisomy 18 in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Keyword

Trisomy 18; First trimester combined screening; Noninvasive prenatal testing; Epigenetic marker; Nuchal translucency

MeSH Terms

Case-Control Studies
Epigenomics*
Female
Fetus
Humans
Mass Screening*
Nuchal Translucency Measurement*
Plasma
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Trimester, First*
Pregnant Women
Prenatal Diagnosis
Sensitivity and Specificity
Trisomy*