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. 1989 Sep;45(3):362–367.

Dystrophin analysis in duchenne muscular dystrophy: use in fetal diagnosis and in genetic counseling.

F R Bieber 1, E P Hoffman 1, J A Amos 1
PMCID: PMC1683403  PMID: 2672800

Abstract

In this report we describe the use of dystrophin analysis both in the diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in an aborted fetus and in genetic counseling. Our consultand's initial carrier risk, as based on family history and creatine kinase determinations, was calculated as 0.6%. DNA analysis of her family (and fetus) modified this risk to 8.5%. Skeletal muscle of the 23-wk male abortus was found to be histologically indistinguishable from that of age-matched controls. However, immunoblot testing for dystrophin indicated that the fetus had indeed inherited dystrophin deficiency. The carrier risk of the consultand was thus elevated to 100%. Dystrophin assays should be employed whenever the diagnosis of fetal DMD is equivocal (e.g., cases in which a gene deletion cannot be identified). Assay results are crucial for genetic counseling for subsequent pregnancies and for studies of the early pathogenesis of muscular dystrophy.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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