Choosing Wisely:
Don’t offer noninvasive prenatal testing to low-risk patients or make irreversible decisions based on the results of this screening test.
| Rationale and Comments: | NIPT has only been adequately evaluated in singleton pregnancies at high risk for chromosomal abnormalities (maternal age >35, positive screening, sonographic findings suggestive of aneuploidy, translocation carrier at increased risk for trisomy 13, 18, or 21, or prior pregnancy with a trisomy 13, 18, or 21). Its utility in low-risk pregnancies remains unclear. False-positive and false-negative results occur with NIPT, particularly for trisomy 13 and 18. Any positive NIPT result should be confirmed with invasive diagnostic testing prior to a termination of pregnancy. If NIPT is performed, adequate pretest counseling must be provided to explain the benefits and limitations. |
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| References: | • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Genetics. Noninvasive prenatal testing for fetal aneuploidy. Committee Opinion No. 545. Obstet Gynecol. 2012 Dec;120(6):1532–4. |
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