Introduction
The measurement of neck wrinkles is part of the first-trimester screening offered by many gynecologists today, which is also called FiTS (First-Trimester-Screening). With the help of neck wrinkle measurement, any genetic disorders of the unborn child that may exist before birth can be determined. This suspicion can then be substantiated by further examinations.
The fear of a developmental disorder of their unborn baby accompanies every expectant mother. Especially older women are very much affected by this fear, as these mothers have a higher risk of giving birth to a child with a malformation. One way to assess the development of the child is to measure the nuchal fold.
Since this examination takes place before birth, this type of examination is classified as prenatal diagnostics (pre=before). The measurement is not carried out as part of the usual preventive medical checkups, but the mother must explicitly agree to the examination after the gynecologist has informed her about the pros and cons of this examination. It is performed as an ultrasound examination in addition to the two legally required ultrasound examinations in which other structures of the child are measured to detect any developmental disorders.
The measurement of the neck wrinkles allows the diagnosis of chromosomal disorders such as trisomy 21 (=down syndrome) as well as various other syndromes or heart defects. The prenatal test is also used for detection, but all diagnostic procedures require a biopsy for confirmation. Due to the fact that the “non-preventive” examination is “non-preventive”, the sometimes very high costs of up to 200€ have to be paid out of one’s own pocket and are not covered by public health insurance. The decision FOR the examination is urgently recommended for mothers who have had small changes and abnormalities detected during previous ultrasound examinations as part of the usual preventive examinations, for pregnancies with a maternal age of over 35 years or for high-risk pregnancies. Since one is considered a high-risk pregnant woman from the age of 35 onwards, as the risk of malformations increases with the mother’s age, in this case the insurance companies often even cover the costs of this examination.
