Medically reviewed to ensure accuracy.
Here’s when and why nuchal translucency is recommended and what you could expect from this common screening.
What is a nuchal translucency test and what does it measure?
It helps doctors determine if a baby is statistically more likely to have a chromosomal abnormality.
Experts have found that this spot tends to accumulate fluid in babies with chromosomal abnormalities.
They can cause intellectual disabilities and mild to severe birth defects.
Keep in mind that nuchal translucency is not 100 percent accurate.
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What is a normal NT measurement?
Normal NT measurements vary depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy.
In general, most doctors consider a normal NT measurement at 12 weeks to be under 3 millimeters.
Who should get a nuchal translucency screening?
It’s ultimately up to you whether you have prenatal testing.
The results can help you make prenatal care decisions.
After that, the tissue gets thicker and is no longer translucent, so test results become inconclusive.
Then he or she will locate the nuchal fold and measure its thickness on the screen.
To improve the accuracy of results, your practitioner will likely offer what’s known as a combined screening.
These two hormones are produced by the fetus and passed into the mom’s bloodstream.
How accurate is nuchal translucency?
NT results by themselves have an accuracy rate of about 70 percent.
That means that the test misses 30 percent of babies with Down syndrome or other chromosome disorders.
Including the NT as part of a first trimester combined screening improves detection to between 83 and 92 percent.
Pairing the results of the nuchal translucency with other screening tests in the first trimester further improves the accuracy.
The results of an NT screen can also be combined withnoninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT).
However, some insurance policies won’t cover an NT if the patient has already had NIPT.
What if your NT results are abnormal?
That means they can’t diagnose any specific condition.
They just mean that there’s a statistical likelihood of having a problem.
That’s why your doctor will suggest follow-up diagnostic testing.
Try not to overthink your results.
