OBJECTIVE To provide a preliminary assessment of obstetric healthcare provider opinions surrounding implementation of cell-free fetal DNA testing. METHODS A 37-question pilot survey was used to address questions around the translation and use of non-invasive prenatal testing using cell-free fetal DNA. The survey was distributed and collected at a Continuing Medical Education course on obstetr...

1. Hahn S, Holzgreve W. Prenatal diagnosis using fetal cells and cell-free fetal DNA in maternal blood: what is currently feasible? Clin Obstet Gynecol 2002;45:649–56. 2. Chiu RW, Lo YM. The biology and diagnostic applications of fetal DNA and RNA in maternal plasma. Curr Top Dev Biol 2004;61:81–111. 3. Lo YM, Tein MS, Lau TK, Haines CJ, Leung TN, Poon PM, et al. Quantitative analysis of fetal ...

Since the discovery of cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) in maternal plasma in 19971 there has been rapid progress in harnessing this as a source of fetal genetic material for prenatal diagnosis. The majority of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is maternal in origin2, with the fetal proportion emanating from the placenta3, detectable in the maternal circulation from around 5 weeks’ gestation2 and constituting ...

OBJECTIVE To assess the normal levels of free fetal DNA in maternal plasma through pregnancy compared with those in pregnancies complicated with placental dysfunction manifested by preeclampsia and/or fetal growth restriction. STUDY DESIGN Maternal blood samples from 138 singleton male pregnancies were divided into 3 groups; normal pregnancies (77), preeclampsia (49), and fetal growth restric...

The existence of cell free DNA in the human circulatory system has been known since the 1950s, however, intensive research in this area has been conducted for the last ten years. This review paper brings a short overview of the existing literature concerning the cell free DNA research in various clinical fields and pathological states and considers the application possibilities of this new anal...

The detection of cell-free fetal DNA from maternal plasma and serum by Dennis Lo and colleagues at Oxford University, UK, opened an exciting route for the noninvasive determination of fetal genetic traits (1 ). It has proved very effective for identifying fetal genetic loci completely absent from the maternal genome, such as those on the Y chromosome or the RHD (Rh blood group, D antigen) gene ...

1. Minniti S, Vincentini S, Procacci C. Congenital anomalies of the venae cavae: embryological origin, imaging features and report of three new variants. Eur Radiol 2002; 12: 2040–2055. 2. Nsah EN, Moore GW, Hutchins GM. Pathogenesis of persistent left superior vena cava with a coronary sinus connection. Pediatr Pathol 1991; 11: 261–269. 3. Pasquini L, Belmar C, Seale A, Gardiner HM. Prenatal d...

The kinetics and structure of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma is currently under investigation. Plasma fetal DNA seems quite stable albeit cleared rapidly following birth, suggesting continuous fetal DNA release into the maternal circulation during pregnancy. However, to understand better the kinetics of circulating DNA, studies to determine the biological (structural) form in which feta...

BACKGROUND Detection of circulating cell-free fetal nucleic acids in maternal plasma has been used in noninvasive prenatal diagnostics. Most applications rely on the qualitative detection of fetal nucleic acids to determine the genetic makeup of the fetus. This method leads to an analytic dilemma, because test results from samples that do not contain fetal DNA or are contaminated with maternal ...