Investigation of median values of biochemical markers used in dual and quadruple prenatal screening tests in Sakarya province.

AİM: The objective of this study was to establish the median values of markers for dual and quadruple prenatal screening tests specific to Sakarya province, and to compare these values with both those from the Prisca package program and median values determined in other geographical regions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed by retrospectively analysing the data of 19,120 pregnant women between April 2019 and April 2023. All markers were analysed from maternal serum by immunochemiluminescence method. Sakarya median and MoM values were calculated according to gestational weeks. These values were compared with prisca package programme values and values of other geographical regions. RESULTS: The median values of Sakarya province differ from those of Prisca; free β-hCG and uE3 in all weeks, PAPP-A except for the 12th week, total β-hCG except for the 15th week and AFP except for the 20th week was low in all weeks, whereas inhibin A was high in all weeks except for the 20th week (p<0.05). When the MoM values of all markers were compared, a significant difference was observed in all weeks (p<0.001). Comparing the median values of Sakarya province with those of other regions revealed significant differences in many weeks across all markers (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study's findings highlight significant discrepancies between the median and MoM values calculated for Sakarya province and those derived from the Prisca package program. It is also evident that there are significant differences between geographical regions in terms of median values. Given that changes in the median and MoM values of the markers significantly affect the screening performance of the laboratory, the necessity for different geographical regions to establish their own median values to enhance the accuracy of screening tests is strongly supported by the results of this study. Keywords: Dual test, median, MoM, prenatal screening, quadruple test