Urinary screening tests for fetal Down syndrome: I. Fresh β‐core fragment

Variable results have been reported using urine β‐core fragment as a marker for fetal Down syndrome. Initial studies by Cuckle et al. (1994) and Canick et al. (1995) indicated that β‐core fragment was an outstanding marker, detecting >80 per cent of Down syndrome cases. Since these reports, widely varying results have been published, indicating between 20 per cent and 66 per cent detection of cases at 5 per cent false‐positive rate. The wide variation in the reported data has led to a loss of enthusiasm for this marker as a useful test for Down syndrome screening.

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