FBR Resource Guide


Fetal Blood Contamination, Amniotic Fluid (FBC-R)
Bovine Serum Contamination, Amniotic Fluid (BSA-R)

Counterimmunoelectrophoresis and radialimmunodiffusion

Prenatal Screening Laboratory


Specimen Required:
Amniotic fluid: 1 mL
Include 1 mL whole fluid if visibly bloody
Room temperature or 4°C
Days Test Set Up:
FBC - Monday-Thursday
BSA - Friday.
Analytic Time:

24 hours

Reference Values:

No precipitin band = Normal

CPT Code(s):

86331, 86185

Relevance

The presence of fetal serum in amniotic fluid can contribute to elevated amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein or positive acetylcholinesterase (AChE).

Notes

The presence of fetal bovine serum albumin (BSA), another cause of false positive AChE results, can be confirmed with this same method.

Reference(s)

  • Wald NJ, Cuckle HS, Nanchahal K: Amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase measurement in the prenatal diagnosis of open neural tube defects. Second report of the collaborative acetylcholinesterase study. Prenat Diagn, 9:813-827, 1989.
  • Barlow RD, Cuckle HS, Wald NJ, et al.: False positive gel-acetylcholinesterase results in blood-stained amniotic fluids. Br J Obstet Gynæcol, 89:821, 1982.
  • Doran TA, Allen LC, Pirani BBK, et al.: False positive amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein levels resulting from contamination with fetal blood: Results of an experiment. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 127:799, 1977.