Szabó A, Szili K, Szabó JT, Sikovanyecz J, Isaszegi D, Horváth E, Szabó J. Nasal bone length: prenasal thickness ratio: a strong 2D ultrasound marker for Down syndrome.
Prenat Diagn 2014;
34:1139-45. [PMID:
24966049 PMCID:
PMC4305193 DOI:
10.1002/pd.4442]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Revised: 06/20/2014] [Accepted: 06/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Objectives
To evaluate the feasibility of incorporating two-dimensional ultrasound measurements of nasal bone length (NBL) and prenasal thickness (PT) into the second-trimester anomaly scan and to determine whether the NBL : PT ratio could help in differentiating euploid and Down syndrome fetuses.
Method
Two-dimensional measurements of NBL and PT were obtained from the midsagittal plane of the fetal head at 14–28 weeks of gestation in a Caucasian population at risk for aneuploidy. The screening performances of NBL, PT, and the ratios NBL : PT and PT : NBL were analyzed in euploid (n = 1330) and Down syndrome (n = 33) fetuses.
Results
Nasal bone length and PT alone showed strong correlations with Down syndrome (sensitivity: 76% at 1.88% and 2.35% false positive rate, respectively). However, the NBL : PT ratio showed an even stronger correlation with Down syndrome (false positive rate: 0.9%, sensitivity: 97%). The mean NBL : PT ratio showed a gradual increase from 1.48 to 1.79 (a 21.2% increase) between 14 and 28 weeks of gestation.
Conclusion
Two-dimensional ultrasound measurements of NBL and PT, particularly the NBL : PT ratio, are highly sensitive markers for Down syndrome fetuses. © 2014 The Authors. Prenatal Diagnosis published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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