[Alphafetoprotein in serum of pregnant women. A new assay and practical aspects in prenatal screening for fetal neural tube malformations (author's transl)].

A new radioimmunoassay for alphafetoprotein was tested with 440 sera for it's suitability in the screening of pregnant women for fetal neural tube malformations. The test was reliable and it's execution simple and little time consuming. The test allowed to establish the normal range during pregnancy as well as to detect typical deviations from normal in cases of abortion and anencephaly. Results of mothers with diabetes or elevated transaminase activities were in the normal range. The practicability and acceptable cost of such a test render now possible, and at the same time urgent, a regional screening of women from the 15 th to the 18th week of pregnancy. Only in this way, the detection rate of fetal neural tube malformations can be measured and the usefulness of a general screening of all pregnant women can be evaluated.