Chromosomal Microarray Analysis in Fetuses with Ultrasound Abnormalities

Abstract

Xiaoqin Chen,1,2 Liubing Lan,1,2 Heming Wu,1 Mei Zeng,1,2 Zhiyuan Zheng,1 Qiuping Zhong,2 Fengdan Lai,2 Yonghe Hu2 1Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Meizhou People’s Hospital, Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, Meizhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Obstetrics, Meizhou People’s Hospital, Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, Meizhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Liubing Lan, Department of Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Meizhou People’s Hospital, Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 63 Huangtang Road, Meijiang District, Meizhou, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: To explore and evaluate the value of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with ultrasound abnormalities.Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 370 fetuses with ultrasound abnormalities received invasive prenatal diagnosis at Meizhou People’s Hospital from October 2022 to December 2023. Fetal specimens were analyzed by CMA, and the detection rates of aneuploidy and pathogenic (P)/likely pathogenic (LP) copy number variations (CNVs) in ultrasound structural abnormalities (malformations of fetal anatomy) and non-structural abnormalities (abnormalities of fetal nonanatomical structure) were analyzed.Results: There were 114 (30.8%) cases with isolated ultrasound structural abnormalities, 226 (61.1%) cases with isolated non-structural abnormalities (182 isolated ultrasound soft markers abnormalities, 30 isolated fetal growth restriction (FGR), and 8 isolated abnormalities of amniotic fluid volume), and 30 (8.1%) cases with both structural and non-structural abnormalities. The overall detection rate of aneuploidy and P/LP CNVs in isolated ultrasonic structural abnormalities was 5.3%, among which cardiovascular system abnormalities were the highest. In addition, the largest number of fetuses with non-structural abnormalities was nuchal translucency (NT) thickening (n = 81), followed by ventriculomegaly (n = 29), and nasal bone dysplasia (n = 24). The detection rate of chromosomal abnormalities of fetuses with abnormal ultrasound soft markers was 9.9%, and the detection rate in single abnormal ultrasound soft marker, and multiple ultrasound soft markers abnormalities was 9.7% (16/165) and 11.8% (2/17), respectively. Moreover, the detection rate of chromosomal abnormalities of fetuses with FGR and structural abnormalities combined with non-structural abnormalities was 6.7% (2/30), and 13.3% (4/30), respectively.Conclusion: The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities (aneuploidy and P/LP CNVs) varies among different fetal ultrasound abnormalities.Keywords: chromosomal microarray analysis, copy number variation, abnormal ultrasound fetus, prenatal diagnosis

Keywords

• chromosomal microarray analysis
• copy number variation
• abnormal ultrasound fetus
• prenatal diagnosis