Screening for pre-eclampsia by using maternal serum inhibin A, activin A, human chorionic gonadotropin, unconjugated estriol, and alpha-fetoprotein levels and uterine artery Doppler in the second trimester of pregnancy

AIMS: To analyse the predictive power of maternal serum inhibin A, activin A, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), unconjugated estriol (uE(3)), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels and uterine artery Doppler in the second trimester of pregnancy in screening for pre-eclampsia. METHODS: Maternal serum inhibin A, activin A, hCG, uE(3), and AFP levels and uterine artery Doppler were determined in 178 healthy, pregnant women in the second trimester of pregnancy. Serum samples were collected between the 16th and 18th weeks of gestation, and Doppler investigation was performed between the 24th and 26th weeks of gestation. Receiver operating characteristic curves were created to analyse the predictive powers of the above parameters in screening for pre-eclampsia. Different combinations also were analysed. RESULTS: The rate of pre-eclampsia was 7.9% (14/178). Maternal serum inhibin A, activin A, hCG, AFP levels, the rate of presence of the prediastolic notch and uterine artery resistance index (RI) values in pre-eclamptic pregnancies were significantly higher than those in healthy pregnancies. Presence of the prediastolic notch, uterine artery RI, maternal serum activin A and inhibin A levels had high predictive efficacy, and each had a sensitivity between 70 and 93% and a specificity between 87% and 98%. The addition of inhibin A or activin A measurement to the Doppler velocimetry improved the specificity to 99-100%. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal serum inhibin A and activin A levels and uterine artery Doppler appear to be useful screening tests during the second trimester for pre-eclampsia. However, addition of these hormonal markers to Doppler velocimetry only slightly improves the predictive efficacy, which appears clinically insignificant.