Trends in Reporting of Nuchal Translucency Measurements After the Clinical Introduction of Cell-Free DNA Screening

Timothy Wen; Loralei L Thornburg; Mary E Norton; Lawrence D Platt; Lorraine Dugoff; Ashley Hesson; Jean L Spitz; Gregory Toland; Bryann Bromley; Nuchal Translucency Quality Review Program of the Perinatal Quality Foundation

doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000005577

Trends in Reporting of Nuchal Translucency Measurements After the Clinical Introduction of Cell-Free DNA Screening

Obstet Gynecol. 2024 Jun 1;143(6):811-814. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005577. Epub 2024 Apr 11.

Authors

Timothy Wen¹, Loralei L Thornburg, Mary E Norton, Lawrence D Platt, Lorraine Dugoff, Ashley Hesson, Jean L Spitz, Gregory Toland, Bryann Bromley; Nuchal Translucency Quality Review Program of the Perinatal Quality Foundation

Affiliation

¹ Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, and the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Los Angeles, and the Center for Fetal Medicine and Women's Ultrasound, Los Angeles, California; the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; the Divisions of Reproductive Genetics and Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; the Perinatal Quality Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

PMID: 38603781
DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005577

Abstract

Nuchal translucency (NT) measurement in conjunction with serum analytes has been used for first-trimester aneuploidy screening in the United States since 2005. We sought to analyze the trends in reporting of NT measurements to the Nuchal Translucency Quality Review program in all pregnancies beginning after the clinical introduction of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening for fetal aneuploidy in 2011. Overall, reported NT measurements decreased 74.3% from 2012 to 2022. A similar decline was noted among individuals with pregnancies at increased risk for aneuploidy based on patient age and twin gestations. The decrease in reporting aligns temporally with the availability of cfDNA screening and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

MeSH terms

Adult
Aneuploidy*
COVID-19* / diagnosis
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Cell-Free Nucleic Acids* / analysis
Cell-Free Nucleic Acids* / blood
Female
Humans
Noninvasive Prenatal Testing
Nuchal Translucency Measurement*
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Trimester, First
SARS-CoV-2
United States