Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) is a high resolution, whole-genome screening technique to identify most of the chromosomal imbalances. It is recommended as the first-tier test in the postnatal evaluation of congenital abnormalities and neurodevelopmental disorders. This article outlines the significance of CMA for identifying genetic discrepancies.
With accumulating experience, regarding detection of chromosomal abnormalities, CMA is proving to be a valuable diagnostic tool in the prenatal setting. CMA can be performed on uncultured DNA samples, including those obtained from CVS and amniocentesis, which may lead to a quicker turnaround time than a karyotype. Types of Microarrays There are 2 major microarray platforms used in prenatal diagnosis namely: Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) arrays With SNP and CGH arrays, DNA from a…
