In this report we describe a survey of over 14,000
triple test requests to estimate risks for Down syndrome and neural tube
defect (NTD) pregnancies. They were collected between 1999 and 2002, from
all the provinces in the Netherlands except Groningen, Friesland and
Drenthe. This research was carried out on order of the Health Care
Inspectorate of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport.
Pregnancies were classified as either normal singleton pregnancies or
special (e.g. diabetic, twin) pregnancies. Experimental data of the triple
test (alpha fetoprotein, unconjugated oestriol and human chorionic
gonadotropin) for singleton normal pregnancies are given, with special
reference to the age distribution of the population under investigation.
The median values of the triple test parameters in Downs syndrome or neural
tube defect-pregnancies are given, as well as the detection rate (DR) and
false positive rate (FPR) of the triple test using reported data on the
outcome of pregnancies. Special attention is given to e.g. the time a
sample is in transport and the gestational age at which a blood sample is
taken. Moreover, this report addresses in more detail the values of the
triple test parameters in twin and diabetic pregnancies, and reports on
individual cases of Down syndrome, neural tube defects and trisomy 18. The
annual number of triple tests rose slightly in 2001 and 2002 to annually
about 3700. No significant changes were found in the categories of
requestors (e.g. hospital vs. obstetricians), regional distribution, and
the median age at which women applied for a triple test. The distribution
of multiple-of-the-median values for the triple test parameters were within
the demands of the triple test risk estimation. A report of the outcome of
the pregnancy was received for 79% of all the triple tests in 1999 and for
84% of the tests in 2000-March 2001. Based on these data, the DR for Down
syndrome was 90% for a 15,6% FPR in 1999 and 80% for a 15,6% FPR in
2000-March 2001. The DR for NTD was 50% for a 0,8% FPR in 1999 and 0 % for
a 1.2% FPR in 2000-March 2001 (however, in both periods only 2
NTD-pregnancies were reported). These specifications meet or exceed minimum
demands for detection and false positive rates, as estimated from the age
distribution of the pregnant women, except for the detection rate of NTD,
which is lower then expected.