Second trimester levels of maternal serum inhibin A in pregnancies affected by fetal neural tube defects

Inhibin A is effective as a second trimester maternal serum marker for Down syndrome screening. In the present study, inhibin A levels were measured i n second trimester maternal serum samples from 28 pregnancies affected with open neural tube defects; 12 associated with open spina bifida and 16 asso ciated with anencephaly. Each measurement was expressed as a multiple of th e median (MoM) for control singleton pregnancies (n = 1464) of the same com pleted week of gestation. Inhibin A levels were not significantly altered i n cases of open neural tube defects; the median value was 0.96 MoM in cases of open spins bifida and 1.19 MoM in cases of anencephaly. Therefore, seco nd trimester maternal serum inhibin A levels will not have an impact on pre natal detection of open neural tube defects. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.