[Prenatal diagnosis of globoid-cell leukodystrophy (Krabbe's disease) (author's transl)]

Amniocentesis in the 17th week of pregnancy in a 23-year-old woman who had previously lost a child with enzymatically proven Krabbe's disease revealed normal activity in cell-free amniotic fluid. But in two amniotic cell cultures a 25% defect of cerebroside-beta-galactosidase was found. The prenatal diagnosis of Krabbe's disease was subsequently confirmed after abortion of the fetus by enzymatic and morphological examination (globoid cells in the spinal-cord sections).