QUAD screen (quadruple test, quadruple screen, 4-test screen)

Indications

• preliminary screening test in pregnancy.
• assesses risk of Down Syndrome & neural tube defects
• 15th-20th weeks of pregnancy

Interpretation

• the test is a mathematical calculation using 4 laboratory tests:
  • serum AFP
  • serum hCG
  • serum unconjugated estriol
  • serum inhibin A (addition to triple screen)
• & considerations of maternal age, weight, race, & diabetic status
• these are used to calculate risk of Down Syndrome & other chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus
• a high serum AFP suggests a neural tube defect

More general terms

• maternal serum screen

Additional terms

• triple screen (triple test, maternal AFP, msAFP, 3-test screen)

Components

• alpha-1-fetoprotein (AFP) in serum/plasma
• choriogonadotropin in serum/plasma
• estriol in serum unconjugated
• inhibin A in serum