The use of second-trimester genetic sonogram in guiding clinical management of patients at increased risk for fetal trisomy 21

TL;DR: Much of the review will, of necessity, focus on general principles of critical care, extrapolating where possible to obstetric critical care.

TL;DR: Improvement in the performance of first‐trimester screening can be achieved by firstly, inclusion in the ultrasound examination assessment of the nasal bone and flow in the ductus venosus, hepatic artery and across the tricuspid valve, and secondly, carrying out the biochemical test at 9 to 10 weeks and the ultrasound scan at 12 weeks.

TL;DR: To summarize by meta‐analysis the accumulated data on the screening performance of second‐trimester sonographic markers for fetal trisomy 21 shows clear trends in maternal morbidity and mortality during the second trimester.

TL;DR: Obstetric ultrasonography is a common obstetric procedure used to provide information about fetal health and diagnose potential problems.

TL;DR: Prenatal screening of serum to generate individual estimates of the risk of Down's syndrome in the fetus can provide a basis for decision making in the cases of women 35 years of age or older, as it does in younger pregnant women, and is an alternative to current testing practices.

TL;DR: The sonographically detectable physical features of second trimester fetuses are evaluated to determine whether these features are more sensitive and specific than maternal age for detecting fetuses with abnormal karyotypes and a weighted sonographic score was developed to optimize the detection of fetuses at risk for aneuploidy.

TL;DR: The biparietal diameter/femur length ratio may prove superior to current Down syndrome screening methods and, as a third independent variable, may significantly enhance the sensitivity and specificity of combined maternal age/maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein screening modalities.

TL;DR: Prenatal ultrasound findings were reviewed in 94 consecutive fetuses with proved Down syndrome (trisomy 21) during a 6-year period at a single institution and one or more abnormalities were found in 31 fetuses (33%) as mentioned in this paper.