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Comparative Study
. 2016 Nov 7:355:i5789.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.i5789.

Sensitivity of fetal RHD screening for safe guidance of targeted anti-D immunoglobulin prophylaxis: prospective cohort study of a nationwide programme in the Netherlands

Masja de Haas  1   2   3 , Florentine F Thurik  1   4 , Catharina P B van der Ploeg  5 , Barbera Veldhuisen  1   3 , Hoang Hirschberg  6 , Aicha Ait Soussan  1 , Heleen Woortmeijer  3 , Frithjofna Abbink  7 , Godelieve C M L Page-Christiaens  4 , Peter G Scheffer  4 , C Ellen van der Schoot  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Sensitivity of fetal RHD screening for safe guidance of targeted anti-D immunoglobulin prophylaxis: prospective cohort study of a nationwide programme in the Netherlands

Masja de Haas et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objective: To determine the accuracy of non-invasive fetal testing for the RHD gene in week 27 of pregnancy as part of an antenatal screening programme to restrict anti-D immunoglobulin use to women carrying a child positive for RHD DESIGN: Prospectively monitoring of fetal RHD testing accuracy compared with serological cord blood typing on introduction of the test. Fetal RHD testing was performed with a duplex real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, with cell-free fetal DNA isolated from 1 mL of maternal plasma The study period was between 4 July 2011 and 7 October 2012. The proportion of women participating in screening was determined.

Setting: Nationwide screening programme, the Netherlands. Tests are performed in a centralised setting.

Participants: 25 789 RhD negative pregnant women.

Main outcome measures: Sensitivity, specificity, false negative rate, and false positive rate of fetal RHD testing compared with serological cord blood typing; proportion of technical failures; and compliance to the screening programme.

Results: A fetal RHD test result and serological cord blood result were available for 25 789 pregnancies. Sensitivity for detection of fetal RHD was 99.94% (95% confidence interval 99.89% to 99.97%) and specificity was 97.74% (97.43% to 98.02%). Nine false negative results for fetal RHD testing were registered (0.03%, 95% confidence interval 0.01% to 0.06%). In two cases these were due to technical failures. False positive fetal RHD testing results were registered for 225 samples (0.87%, 0.76% to 0.99%). Weak RhD expression was shown in 22 of these cases, justifying anti-D immunoglobulin use. The negative and positive predictive values were 99.91% (95% confidence interval 99.82% to 99.95%) and 98.60% (98.40% to 98.77%), respectively. More than 98% of the women participated in the screening programme.

Conclusions: Fetal RHD testing in week 27 of pregnancy as part of a national antenatal screening programme is highly reliable and can be used to target both antenatal and postnatal anti-D immunoglobulin use.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form at www.icmje.org/coi_disclosure.pdf and declare: no support from any organisation for the submitted work; no financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

None
Fig 1 Overview of reported fetal RHD test results compared with postnatal cord blood serology results. Concurrence was 99.09% (25 555/25 789, 95% confidence interval 98.97% to 99.20%)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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