Universal Cell Free DNA or Contingent Screening for Trisomy 21: Does It Make a Difference? A Comparative Study with Real Data.

Objective: The aim of the objective was to compare the detection rate for trisomy 21 of universal cell free DNA (cfDNA) screening with contingent screening.

Methods: Retrospective study was carried out at 3 German centers. The study included euploid and trisomy 21 pregnancies where cfDNA and first trimester (FT) screening assessment was carried out.

The femur too short? 1373 fetuses with short femur during second-trimester screening.

Purpose: A short fetal femur in prenatal diagnosis might be an indicator for intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), a genetically determined small child (SGA) with or without associated fetal malformations and/or an adverse fetal outcome.

Methods: 1373 singleton pregnancies with a femoral length < 5th percentile detected between 1999 and 2015 during second-trimester screening in a tertiary prenatal diagnostic center were subjected to a descriptive retrospective analysis with regard to fetal characteristics as well as pregnancy outcome.

Results: 685 (49.

Impact of maternal obesity and maternal overweight on the detection rate of fetal heart defects and the image quality of prenatal echocardiography.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the prenatal detection of four congenital heart defects (CHDs) and the image quality of five corresponding ultrasound planes among obese, overweight and normal-weight women.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 54,846 pregnancies undergoing fetal echocardiography between 18 and 37 weeks of gestation in the years from 2000 to 2007. The women were categorized according to pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) as normal-weight (BMI < 25), overweight (BMI 25 - 29.

Identification of response bias on apparent pregnancy outcome after second trimester ultrasound.

Objectives: To investigate whether there is a response bias in outcome studies after prenatal ultrasound and to quantify this potential effect by information source.

Materials And Methods: All normal ultrasound scans between week 17 and week 24 and 6 days performed in the years 2004 and 2005 were investigated. A multinomial logistic regression model was applied to investigate the association between responders' outcome (questionnaire, phone interview and inquiry to birth clinic) and the following explanatory variables: maternal age, smoking status, body mass index, congenital anomaly status, low birthweight and preterm deliveries.

Assessment of the ductus venosus, tricuspid blood flow and the nasal bone in second-trimester screening for trisomy 21.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of reversed a-wave in the ductus venosus, tricuspid regurgitation and absent nasal bone, in a second-trimester population undergoing amniocentesis, after exclusion of major fetal defects and to estimate the performance in screening for trisomy 21 based on maternal age and these markers in a general population.

Methods: This was a retrospective study involving pregnancies undergoing amniocentesis due to increased risk for trisomy 21, mainly because of advanced maternal age. Before the invasive procedure, an ultrasound examination was carried out to exclude major fetal defects and to examine the ductus venosus, tricuspid blood flow and the presence of the fetal nasal bone.