What can be done when the nuchal translucency test is positive?
The most important thing is NOT to get alarmed and to follow your doctors orders. When nuchal translucency is assessed, your doctor will take into account other biochemical studies performed during the first trimester and will subsequently give you guidelines that you will have to follow, among these: • Ultrasound follow up of the foetus • A study of fetal chromosomes by jeans of a chorionic biopsy or amniocentesis. How should we evaluate a positive nuchal translucency? <> The risks for chromosomal abnormalities are calculated taking into account the ultrasound findings and the biochemical screening results obtained from the maternal blood. For a nuchal translucency of 4 mm, the risk of chromosomal abnormalities is approximatelly 20%; for a nuchal translucency of 5 mm, the risk is 33%; for a nuchal translucency of 6 mm, the risk is 50%, and for a nuchal translucency greater than or equal to 6,5 mm, the risk is 65%. Thus, the first step in the management of these pregnancies is to perfo
