Why not lower the cutoff on maternal serum α-fetoprotein screens so that near complete ascertainment of neural tube defects via the screen would be had?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Lowering the cutoff for maternal serum α-fetoprotein (MSAFP) to catch nearly all neural tube defects would result in a significant increase in false-positive results. This means many pregnancies without neural tube defects would be flagged as high risk, leading to unnecessary anxiety and potentially unnecessary follow-up testing, which could include invasive procedures.

Why Not Lower the Cutoff on Maternal Serum α-Fetoprotein Screens