AMNIOTIC-FLUID PLATELET FACTOR-IV AND BETA-THROMBOGLOBULIN AS MARKERSOF STRUCTURAL ABNORMALITIES

Platelet factor 4 (PF4) and beta-thromboglobulin (BTG) are unique mark ers of irreversible platelet activation. We measured PF4 and BTG in am niotic fluid from 102 genetic amniocenteses, in which 78 had normal am niotic fluid alpha-feto-protein (AFP) levels with normal pregnancies, and 24 had high amniotic fluid AFP levels with abnormal pregnancies. P F4 and BTG were significantly higher in the abnormal pregnancy/elevate d amniotic fluid AFP group (p < 0.002 in each case) and correlated wit h AFP expressed as multiples of the median (p < 0.05 and p < 0.0001, r espectively). Our results are compatible with passage of PF4 and BTG a cross fetal membranes and/or enhanced fetal platelet activation in fet uses with structural anomalies and elevated AFP.