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Fetal exome sequencing for isolated increased nuchal translucency: should we be doing it?

Mellis, R; Eberhardt, RY; Hamilton, SJ; McMullan, DJ; Kilby, MD; Maher, ER; Hurles, ME; ... Chitty, LS; + view all (2022) Fetal exome sequencing for isolated increased nuchal translucency: should we be doing it? BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology , 129 (1) pp. 52-61. 10.1111/1471-0528.16869. Green open access

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Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the utility of prenatal exome sequencing (ES) for isolated increased nuchal translucency (NT) and investigate factors which increase diagnostic yield. Design: Retrospective analysis of data from two prospective cohort studies. Setting: Fetal medicine centres in the UK and USA. Population: Fetuses with increased NT ≥3.5mm at 11-14 weeks’ gestation recruited to the Prenatal Assessment of Genomes and Exomes (PAGE) and Columbia fetal WES studies (n = 213). Methods: We grouped cases based on (i) the presence of additional structural abnormalities at presentation in the first trimester or later in pregnancy, and (ii) NT measurement at presentation. We compared diagnostic rates between groups using Fisher exact test. Main Outcome Measures: Detection of diagnostic genetic variants considered to have caused the observed fetal structural anomaly. Results: Diagnostic variants were detected in 12 (22.2%) of 54 fetuses presenting with non-isolated increased NT, 12 (32.4%) of 37 fetuses with isolated increased NT in the first trimester and additional abnormalities later in pregnancy, and 2 (1.8%) of 111 fetuses with isolated increased NT in the first trimester and no other abnormalities on subsequent scans. Diagnostic rate also increased with increasing size of NT. Conclusions: The diagnostic yield of prenatal ES is low for fetuses with isolated increased NT but significantly higher where there are additional structural anomalies. Prenatal ES may not be appropriate for truly isolated increased NT but timely, careful ultrasound scanning to identify other anomalies emerging later can direct testing to focus where there is a higher likelihood of diagnosis.

Type: Article
Title: Fetal exome sequencing for isolated increased nuchal translucency: should we be doing it?
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.16869
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.16869
Language: English
Additional information: ª 2021 The Authors. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: Fetal diagnosis and therapy, Genetics, Perinatal diagnosis-invasive, Perinatal diagnosis-ultrasound.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Genetics and Genomic Medicine Dept
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10133874
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