The effectiveness of prenatal serum biomarker screening for neural tube defects in second trimester pregnant women: a meta-analysis.

Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are common and serious birth defects all over the world. Prenatal screening for NTDs using maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) during the second trimester of pregnancy has been widely used, but its effectiveness remains unclear.

Methods: We evaluated the studies published in the English and Chinese on MSAFP screening for NTDs.