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Measurement of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein originated in the early 1970s as a means to screen for fetal neural tube defects, a relatively common and devastating class of malformations. Since that time, assay methods have improved, interpretation has been refined, follow-up testing for neural tube defects has advanced, and many other disease associations have been uncovered. It is a unique test, both in its clinical application and its laboratory implementation. The present review outlines current procedures for maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein screening and summarizes recent developments.
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Jay L. Bock (1992) studied this question.
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