Down Syndrome test - Part 3 Which test to do ? Double test and Triple test should not be done anymore due to 3 reasons. 1) Low accuracy rate. 2) Test done at 15 to 18 weeks. It is a bit too late to do anything if confirm baby abnormal. 3) Only can detect very limited abnormalities. These 2 tests are much older tests but many women in Malaysia are still doing these tests. Every mother should do at least a NT and Nasal bone scan. It has quite a good accuracy rate for Down Syndrome and also can detect 50% of other abnormalities. FTS is the best test. 95% accuracy and also can detect 50% of other abnormalities. If the test is abnormal, then do NICC (Non-invasive Chromosomal Check). NICC test is perfect but very expensive. Good for high risk mothers like elderly pregnancies or has another child with Down Syndrome. But it does not check for other abnormalities. So, if a woman decides to do this test, must combine with NT and Nasal Bone scan. No one should do amniocentesis right from the start due to risks involved. Amniocentesis should only be done if any of the other test done was abnormal. ** The reason why I wrote this article was because recently I had a few patients who came to me for 2nd opinion after having an abnormal Double test. Because the test is less accurate, there are more abnormal results. This will result in more unnecessary amniocentesis done. Furthermore, by the time amniocentesis results are out, already 18 to 21 weeks. Baby already so big !! Dr Tan Ee Ping
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 10:09:20 +0000
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