Screening for trisomy 21 during the routine second-trimester ultrasound examination in an unselected Chilean population.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the performance of a detailed ultrasound examination during the second trimester as a screening test for Down syndrome in an unselected Chilean population.

METHODS

This was part of an ongoing longitudinal study. Included were 3071 women with singleton pregnancies who underwent routine ultrasound examination between 21 + 0 and 25 + 6 gestational weeks as a screening test for chromosomal abnormalities and major congenital structural defects, and who were diagnosed as having trisomy 21 or being chromosomally normal. Maternal age, and eight soft markers and cardiac defects associated with Down syndrome were evaluated as a screening test using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The incidence of Down syndrome was 0.6%, and the mean maternal age was 29.4 +/- 6.2 years. At least one of four soft markers (absent nasal bone, nuchal edema, short femur, echogenic foci) and/or cardiac defects was present in 77.8% of Down syndrome fetuses and in 3.1% of normal fetuses. Furthermore, with a false-positive rate of 1%, the detection rate using the combined model of ultrasound markers and maternal age was 72.2%.

CONCLUSIONS

Second-trimester ultrasound markers are able to detect over 70% of Down syndrome fetuses with only a 1% false-positive rate.