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Updated: May 1, 2026

Assessment of Maternal Vascular Remodeling During Pregnancy in the Mouse Uterus
Published on: December 5, 2015
Screening for abnormal placentation and adverse pregnancy outcomes with maternal serum biomarkers in the second
Katherine R Goetzinger1, Anthony O Odibo
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Second trimester biomarkers were initially introduced with the intent of screening for neural tube defects and then subsequently for Down syndrome. It was soon realized that these markers can be indirect evidence of abnormal placentation and, therefore, can be used for screening for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Several new biomarkers have subsequently been described with conflicting findings regarding their efficiency for screening for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although a biologically feasible mechanism has been proposed for the role of these biomarkers, they still fall short of an ideal screening test to be clinically useful.
Second trimester biomarkers were initially introduced with the intent of screening for neural tube defects and then subsequently for Down syndrome. It was soon realized that these markers can be indirect evidence of abnormal placentation and, therefore, can be used for screening for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Several new biomarkers have subsequently been described with conflicting findings regarding their efficiency for screening for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although a biologically feasible mechanism has been proposed for the role of these biomarkers, they still fall short of an ideal screening test to be clinically useful.
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