Prenatal
Early Fetal abnormality testing set to improve.
Joe Kabukoba
A recent statement issued recently by the NHS Antenatal & Newborn Screening Programme to health professionals draws attention to the new technology that is on the horizon.
Prenatal Testing – A wide selection of options
Current prenatal screening for abnormalities in pregnancy relies mostly on ultrasound scans, maternal blood tests and invasive procedures including amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. The choice of the prenatal test depends on what is being screened and in most cases, an ultrasound scan and mother’s blood test will be sufficient. In cases where Down’s syndrome (and other chromosome disorders) for example needs to be excluded, amniocentesis or chorionic villus biopsy may be undertaken. These later procedures are invasive and can lead to a miscarriage of a perfectly normal baby.
The nuchal test, combining ultrasound and maternal blood test has been the most advanced non-invasive screening test to-date. The test is mostly available privately.
Prenatal testing will become less invasive
Recent developments refer to prenatal techniques that exploit technology that allows capture and study of fetal cells retrieved from the mother’s blood stream in early pregnancy. Although such techniques are not entirely new, the scope of the clinical application may go well beyond the determination of the baby’s gender and blood type, particularly Rhesus.
The statement by the Antenatal and Newborn Screening Programmes emphasises the point that this is early stage and further scientific research is being undertaken to establish the suitability and scope of the emerging prenatal testing methods before they are introduced in the NHS.
Independent providers, like One Stop Clinics are likely to be the first companies to introduce the prenatal screening services in the private sector before the NHS adopts the technology.
Joe Kabukoba
