Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1992 Apr 4;304(6831):867-9.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.304.6831.867.

Fetal nuchal translucency: ultrasound screening for chromosomal defects in first trimester of pregnancy

K H Nicolaides  1 , G Azar, D Byrne, C Mansur, K Marks
Affiliations

Fetal nuchal translucency: ultrasound screening for chromosomal defects in first trimester of pregnancy

K H Nicolaides et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objective: To examine the significance of fetal nuchal translucency at 10-14 weeks' gestation in the prediction of abnormal fetal karyotype.

Design: Prospective screening study.

Setting: The Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital, London.

Subjects: 827 fetuses undergoing first trimester karyotyping by amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling.

Main outcome measure: Incidence of chromosomal defects.

Results: The incidence of chromosomal defects was 3% (28 of 827 cases). In the 51 (6%) fetuses with nuchal translucency 3-8 mm thick the incidence of chromosomal defects was 35% (18 cases). In contrast, only 10 of the remaining 776 (1%) fetuses were chromosomally abnormal.

Conclusion: Fetal nuchal translucency > or = 3 mm is a useful first trimester marker for fetal chromosomal abnormalities.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1984;63(4):377-8 - PubMed
    1. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histol. 1977 Nov 25;376(3):233-46 - PubMed
    1. Prenat Diagn. 1990 Oct;10(10):643-51 - PubMed
    1. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1985 Jul;92(7):671-9 - PubMed
    1. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1989 Jul;161(1):78-82 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources