Session 5 Flashcards
What % of oocyte and sperm and chromosomally abnormal?
Oocyte (20-25% chromosomally abnormal)
Sperm (~10% chromosomally abnormal)
What is an occult abortion?
Failure to implant (~30% of conceptus) or transient implantation (~30% of conceptus) with little disruption of menstrual cycle
What is most common single trisomy?
Trisomy 16 - present in ~1% of conceptions.
Incompatible with life if full trisomy and represents ~10% of miscarriages
What trisomies are compatible with a live birth?
Trisomy 13 - Patau
Trisomy 18 - Edwards
Trisomy 21 - Down
What is most common error that produces a trisomy?
maternal meiosis I non-disjunction (Trisomy 18 is exception and usually occurs at maternal meiosis II)
What factor is most associated with increased risk of de novo aneuploidy?
Maternal age - reduced recombination, spindle errors, reduce immunological competence of an older mother
What abnormalities are seen in Second trimester pregnancy loss?
The more ‘viable’ trisomies: +21 (63%), +18 (23%), +13 (13%)
Structural rearrangements
What abnormalities are seen in third trimester pregnancy loss?
The more ‘viable’ trisomies: +21 (32%), +18 (51%), +13 (17%).
Structural rearrangements
What two types of Triploidy exist?
2/3 shown to have two paternal chromosome sets =diandry , usually arising from dispermy
1/3 shown to have two maternal chromosome sets = digyny , due to a diploid egg
What occurs in cases of diandric triploidy?
Most abort in the first or early second trimester, presenting as hydatidiform mole.
What occurs in cases of digynic triploidy?
Nonmolar and mostly abort early (mean 10 weeks). Surviving dygynic triploids develop as a severely growth retarded fetus with macrocephaly and an abnormally small and nonmolar placenta.
What is a complete mole?
Diandric diploidy - two sperm enter an ‘empty’ ovum. No embryo. High risk of choriocarcinoma.
What is an ovarian teratoma?
Dygynic diploidy - 46 chromosomes maternal in origin due to abnormal development of primary oocyte. Fatal. May contain fully differentiated tissue e.g. hair, nail.
What can occur due to chromosome abnormalities in the placenta?
Risk of misdiagnosis when testing CVS due to CPM
Pregnancy loss and intrauterine growth retardation due to incorrect placenta development
What defines recurrent miscarriage?
Three or more miscarriages before 24 weeks post-menstruation
Why can cell culture of POC be difficult?
- Maternal cell contamination
- Higher risk of infection
- Culture failure to due to lack of viable cells
- Mosaicism (biological may lead to overgrowth of normal cell line)
When is testing of POC recommended?
- Pregnancy loss or termination with significant fetal malformations
- Pregnancy loss >24 weeks
- Miscarriages (<24 weeks) for 3rd and subsequent miscarriages
What are all women in the UK offered for T21 screening?
o Information to help them decide if they want screening or not
o A screening test for Down syndrome (DS) that meets national standards
o An ultrasound scan (week 18-24+6) to check for any physical abnormalities in the fetus
What is the screening risk cut off for T21 to be offered invasive?
> 1 in 150
What is Nuchal Translucency?
Measured between 11+2 and 14+1 weeks - the NT is maximum thickness of the subcutaneous translucency between the fetal skin and the soft tissue overlying the cervical spine
What is regarded as an increased nuchal Translucency and what does it indicate?
> 3.5mm
Strongly associated with aneuploidy. Or if normal K’type of structural malformations (often causing Cardiac failure) and genetic syndromes.
What different markers are measured by maternal serum screening approaches?
Multiples of the Median for different markers :
PAPP-A - pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A is released by fetus and lower levels indicate possible genetic defect
AFP - alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) released by fetus and lower levels indicate possible genetic defect
β-hCG - Human chorionic gonadotropin is released by placenta and high levels indicate possible genetic defect (low for T13 and T18)
uE3 - Unconjugated estriol is released by placenta and low levels indicate possible genetic defect
Inhibin A is released by placenta and high levels indicate possible genetic defect
What are the two recommended Serum screening strategies and what differentiates them?
Combined Screening - β-hCG, PAPP-A+ NT - performed in 1st trimester (11+2 ideally)
Quadruple Screening – AFP, β-hCG, uE3+ Inhibin A
- second trimester (14+2 - 20)
What factors can effect serum screening?
- marker levels tend to be decreased in heavier women, and increased in lighter women
- Serum marker levels tend to be higher in Afro-Caribbean women than in Caucasian women
- IVF pregnancy (egg donor age in calculation)
- Diabetic mothers
- Smokers
- Twin pregnancies
When is the fetal analomy scan performed?
18+0 and 20+6 weeks
When was cell free fetal DNA first introduced?
In 1997, Lo et al showed that cffDNA from the Y chromosome of male fetuses was present in maternal blood
When is cffDNA detectable?
from 4-5 weeks but reliably from 7 weeks