[Acetylcholinesterase titers in the amniotic fluid. Value of screening dysraphia of the central nervous system].

The authors report the results of 434 titrations of acetylcholinesterase in the amniotic fluid sampled by early amniocentesis, between the 17th and 24th week of amenorrhea. The biochemical technique used was quantitative and the values of the total cholinesterase activity (TchE) and the true acetylcholinesterase (AchE) were studied separately. Their conclusion is similar to that of other authors: the quantitative method, although satisfactory, has less value than the qualitative method using electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel in order to screen or confirm the existence of a dysraphia of the central nervous system, because any amount of soiled fetal blood elevates the acetylcholinesterase level, titrated by the quantitative method.