ISSN:
1471-0528
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
In pregnancies in which the fetus had a malformation of the central nervous system (anencephaly, spina bifida, or anencephaly with spina bifida) amniotic fluid levels of 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5HIAA), expressed on a protein basis, were less than in normal pregnancies of comparable gestation. This was not observed with a number of other substances present in amniotic fluid nor in 5HIAA levels in cases of polyhydramnios where the fetus was normal. The urinary excretion of 5HIAA in children with spina bifida was normal. A number of possible interpretations are discussed, including the idea that the reduced levels of 5HIAA may reflect the reduction in functioning neural tissue in more severe CNS malformations.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1972.tb15771.x
