Accuracy of Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Families at Risk: A Systematic Review

Background: Methodological advancements, such as relative haplotype and relative mutation dosage analyses, have enabled non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of autosomal recessive and X-linked diseases. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disease characterized by progressive proximal muscular dystrophy and a high mortality rate before the age of twenty. We aimed to systematically present obtainable data regarding a non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of DMD and provide a comprehensive resume on the topic. The emphasis was given to the comparison of different available protocols and molecular methods used for fetal inheritance deduction, as well as their correlation with prognostic accuracy. Methods: We searched the Scopus and PubMed databases on 11 November 2022 and included articles reporting a non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of DMD in families at risk using relative dosage analysis methods. Results: Of the 342 articles identified, 7 met the criteria. The reported accuracy of NIPT for DMD was 100% in all of the studies except one, which demonstrated an accuracy of 86.67%. The combined accuracy for studies applying indirect RHDO, direct RHDO, and RMD approaches were 94.74%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Confirmatory results by invasive testing were available in all the cases. Regardless of the technological complexity and low prevalence of the disease that reduces the opportunity for systematic research, the presented work demonstrates substantial accuracy of NIPT for DMD. Conclusions: Attempts for its implementation into everyday clinical practice raise many ethical and social concerns. It is essential to provide detailed guidelines and arrange genetic counseling in order to ensure the proper indications for testing and obtain informed parental consent.