The utilization of circulating cell-free fetal DNA testing and decrease in invasive diagnostic procedures: an institutional experience

Objective:to characterize the patient population utilizing circulating cell-free fetal dna (ccffdna) testing at a large academic center and evaluate trends in the performance of invasive diagnostic procedures.study design:a retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent cell-free dna testing from may to december 2012 was performed.result:during the study period, 206 patients had cell-free dna testing. of those, 75% (155/206) were of ages ⩾35 years. of those undergoing ccffdna testing, 41% had positive aneuploidy screening and 38% had abnormal ultrasound findings. only 7% of the patients with negative ccffdna testing opted for an invasive diagnostic procedure compared with 60% with positive testing (p<0.01). the rate of invasive procedures decreased from 5.9% of all visits to the center during a similar 8-month period in 2010 to 4.1% of all visits during the study period (p<0.01).conclusion:our data suggest that ccffdna testing leads to reduced uptake of invasive procedures.