Amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase electrophoresis in the prenatal diagnosis of neural tube defects.

Amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase electrophoresis has become available as a test for the prenatal diagnosis of open neural tube defects. The results of acetylcholinesterase electrophoresis on 125 amniotic fluid samples, including 18 from fetuses with open neural tube defects, are presented. These results indicate that this test, in conjunction with alpha-fetoprotein measurement, is of considerable practical value.