ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2025
Predictive value of the maternal alpha-fetoprotein variant, L2, during the first trimester of pregnancy screening for fetal trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and neural tube defects.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundTo assess the predictive usefulness of maternal serum alpha fetoprotein variant L2 (AFP-L2) for fetal trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and neural tube abnormalities (NTDs) in early pregnancy screening.
methodsThis retrospective case-control study including 155 fetuses diagnosed with trisomy 21 (n = 83), trisomy 18 (n = 21), and NTDs (n = 51). There are 265 pregnant women with normal development of their fetuses who were chosen at random and included in the control group. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the optimal screening cut-off value and the area under the curve (AUC).
resultsThe maternal serum AFP-L2 levels in the first trimester of pregnancies with trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and NTD fetuses were higher than the control group [6.64 (4.56-8.09) ng/mL, 6.17 (3.96-8.37) ng/mL, and 6.87(5.29-8.68) ng/mL vs. 3.71 (2.71-4.64) ng/mL], respectively; all P < 0.001). The AUCs for maternal serum AFP-L2 levels in the early stages of pregnancy (11-13
conclusionWe report that the maternal serum AFP-L2 level can be used as a prenatal screening marker to predict NTDs in early pregnancy. AFP-L2 was shown to have high specificity in screening for fetuses with trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and NTDs in the first trimester.
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