In maternity hospitals managed by Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), pregnant women will be able to benefit from an alternative free of charge to amniocentesis to perform the blood test. trisomy 21 screening. This surgical procedure, which consists of removing a little amniotic fluid using a needle, is invasive and potentially risky (risk of miscarriages and premature deliveries).
AP-HP now offers a non-invasive and less traumatic examination than amniocentesis. Patients followed in maternity wards can benefit from free automated screening for Down’s syndrome, 21, 18 and 13, from DNA analysiscirculating in their blood. Free access is made possible thanks to funding from the Ministry of Health.
Thanks to this new technique, in the event of a negative result, the more invasive sample (amniocentesis) can be avoided. On the other hand, it remains a necessary step in the event of a positive result, specifies the AP-HP on his site.
A blood test that halves the number of amniocentesis
Outside of AP-HP establishments, genetic testing is not reimbursed by Health Insurance. But its interest is obvious, since it makes it possible to halve the number of invasive procedures, according to Prof. Jean-Michel Dupont, from the laboratory of pre- and postnatal constitutional cytogenetics at Cochin hospital, AP-HP.
Trisomy: opening to Hop Cochin APHP of the 1st platform in France for automated screening by DNA analysis https://t.co/ufzRbft2dGpic.twitter.com/yJD3iRw2uV
– AP-HP (@APHP) May 4, 2017
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