XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
Search

Last Updated: Aug 19th, 2006 - 22:18:38

FASTER trial (First and Second Trimester Evaluation of Risk)

Obstetrics Channel
subscribe to Obstetrics newsletter

Latest Research : Obstetrics

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Down Syndrome now Detectable at 11 Weeks
Nov 10, 2005, 20:02, Reviewed by: Dr.

The new screening approach uses a blood test that analyzes the level of a protein and hormone in the mother's blood, combined with an ultrasound or sonogram picture of the thickness of skin on the back of the baby's neck (known as the nuchal translucency or NT). Results are available within five days, often before starting the second trimester of pregnancy.

 
A new study from Columbia University Medical Center researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia of more than 38,000 pregnant women at 15 U.S. centers demonstrates the high accuracy of non-invasive screening for Down syndrome (also known as trisomy 21) in the first trimester of pregnancy, at 11 weeks. The findings are a significant advantage over the current standard screening, a blood test performed in the second trimester of pregnancy. Published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine (Nov. 10, 2005 issue), the study is known as the FASTER trial (First and Second Trimester Evaluation of Risk). It was funded by a $13 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development � one of the largest ever grants for an obstetrical study.

The new screening approach uses a blood test that analyzes the level of a protein and hormone in the mother's blood, combined with an ultrasound or sonogram picture of the thickness of skin on the back of the baby's neck (known as the nuchal translucency or NT). Results are available within five days, often before starting the second trimester of pregnancy. This combination approach determines the odds that the baby might have Down syndrome, allowing pregnant women the option of prenatal diagnosis for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities within the first trimester or pregnancy. The researchers found higher detection � 87 percent � in the first trimester compared to the best second trimester screening method � 81 percent detection. Results with this new combination screening approach in the first trimester are a significant advantage over the current standard screening test.

First-trimester screening was performed on 38,167 patients; 117 were found to have a fetus with Down syndrome. If a positive result was found via screening, the woman was given the option to have the finding confirmed with a diagnostic exam: chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis. Both tests carry risks of complication leading to miscarriage.

Down syndrome is one of the leading causes of mental retardation and birth defects, found in one in 660 pregnancies. Persons with this condition have distinct physical features and commonly have certain birth defects and medical problems. Any woman can have a baby with Down syndrome, regardless of her age, race, health, economic status or family history. For this reason, most pregnant women undergo testing to determine their potential to have a baby with this syndrome.

"These results will undoubtedly change national practice � all pregnant women should have the option of early screening for Down syndrome in their first trimester," said Mary E. D'Alton, M.D., principal investigator of the study. She is Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia. "Down syndrome screenings based on either maternal age alone, or an ultrasound or sonogram alone, are no longer justified protocols."

Dr. D'Alton and the research team believe that the new screening method should only be administered by qualified, trained physicians. Dr. D'Alton and other experts working with the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine have recently formed the Maternal Fetal Medicine Foundation to facilitate physician training and quality review for the screening. So far 1,600 physicians and sonographers nationwide have undergone training, and more are scheduled. Information about the training and quality review program can be found at http://www.MFMF.org.

Women seeking this early screening should seek healthcare professionals with appropriate ultrasound training and who participate in ongoing quality monitoring programs. Programs should provide sufficient information and resources for counseling regarding the different screening options and limitations of these tests. Additionally, the services should provide access to an appropriate diagnostic test when the screening test is positive.

"This study was a wonderfully collaborative effort between researchers, including four leading Obstetrics and Gynecology centers in New York City. This incredible achievement would not have been possible without the hard work of the 15 centers that comprised the FASTER Research Consortium and the 38,167 women who participated in this clinical trial," said Dr. D'Alton.

The term 'Down's syndrome' was first used in 1961 by the editor of The Lancet. Of the inborn disorders that affect intellectual capacity, Down syndrome is the most prevalent and best studied

 

- New England Journal of Medicine (Nov. 10, 2005 issue)
 

www.cumc.columbia.edu

 
Subscribe to Obstetrics Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders in health care and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, nurses, dentists, and public health professionals at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the School of Dental & Oral Surgery, the School of Nursing, the Mailman School of Public Health, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Medical Center researchers are leading the discovery of novel therapies and advances to address a wide range of health conditions. www.cumc.columbia.edu/newsroom

New York-Presbyterian Hospital is the largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital in the country. It provides state-of-the art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: New York-Presbyterian hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, the Allen Pavilion, and the Westchester Division. It consistently ranks as one of the top hospitals in the country in U.S. News & World Report's guide to "America's Best Hospitals." The New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System � an affiliation of acute-care and community hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory sites, and specialty institutes �serves one in four patients in the New York metropolitan area. www.nyp.org


Related Obstetrics News

Medical induction of labor increases risk of amniotic-fluid embolism
Senior obstetrician are less hasty about caesarean sections
Carbon monoxide may be beneficial in pre-eclampsia
Prenatal diagnostic tests decrease the risk of miscarriage
Miscarriage significantly associated with increasing paternal age
Clinical examination not sensitive enough to detect breech babies
Preeclampsia risk reduced by regular multivitamins near time of conception
Why Listeriosis rates are 20-fold higher during pregnancy
Why birth interventions are on the rise
Pregnancy Complications Still High For Women With Diabetes


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us