A part of second trimester or cross-trimester biochemical screening for Down syndrome and trisomy 18 syndrome
A marker of fetal demise
An adjunct biomarker in the prenatal diagnosis of disorders of fetal steroid metabolism, including Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLO)(3-4), and X-linked ichthyosis (placental sulfatase deficiency disorders)
Evaluating primary or secondary fetal adrenal insufficiency after excluding other rare single gene defects, including aromatase deficiency, 17 alpha-hydroxylase deficiency and/or various forms of congenital adrenal hyperplasia
Specimen Type
Serum
Specimen Requirements
Preferred: Red Top
Acceptable: Serum Gel (SST)
Minimum Sample Volume
0.5 mL
Stability
Refrigerated (preferred): 14 days
Frozen: 90 days
Unacceptable Specimen Conditions
Gross hemolysis
Limitations
Patients who have been exposed to animal antigens, either in the environment or as part of treatment or imaging procedures, may have circulating anti-animal antibodies present which may interfere with the assay reagents and produce unreliable results
If the clinical picture is inconsistent with the test results, clinicians should consider the possibility of a preanalytical or analytical error and contact the laboratory
