Prenatal Screening (2); Down’s syndrome, neural tube defects

What are the best tests for detecting neural tube defects and Down’s syndrome in a foetus during pregnancy? And what is the best way to conduct this prenatal screening? These are the central issues in this advisory report.

The aim of screening is to provide people who wish for it with information about the presence or absence of the disorder in question. This enables them to terminate the pregnancy where appropriate or to make preparations for the birth of a child with Down’s syndrome or a neural tube defect.

Prenatal screening for Down’s syndrome and neural tube defects was also addressed in another report, which was published by a Health Council Committee in 2001. The present report contains the findings of a Committee of the Health Council based on the most recent developments.