Testing foetus for Down's is now quicker
By Daphne Chuah, TODAY | Posted: 17 August 2007 1155 hrs

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SINGAPORE: Getting your foetus tested for Down's Syndrome will no longer be a three-week-long nerve-wracking wait, thanks to a new technique developed by a group of doctors from Singapore and the United Kingdom.

Unlike conventional methods, such as Karyotyping, which takes up to 21 days to diagnose, the new procedure called FlashFISH (Fluorescent in situ Hybridisation) requires a mere two-hour testing time.

Come the year's end, the National University Hospital (NUH) will be the first in the world to offer the novel technique, an "improved" version of the existing Standard FISH, whereby pregnant mothers have to wait for at least 24 to 48 hours for the results.

"Waiting for test results can cause a lot of anxiety in couples. Hence, we decided to develop an alternative technique that requires a shorter waiting time," said team-leader Professor Mahesh Choolani, a senior consultant with NUH's department of obstetrics and gynaecology. An estimated 1 in 30 tests turn out positive, he added.

While the tests do not pose visible risks, the initial process of drawing the amniotic fluid for laboratory tests does result in one miscarriage for every 200 cases.

Despite the vast difference in waiting time, NUH said that it would most probably offer the service at a similar cost of between $440 and $650, depending on the extent of the test. - TODAY/fa