Prenatal testing shifts as KUB phase-out begins across Swedish regions

Several Swedish regions will discontinue the combined ultrasound and blood test (KUB) for prenatal screening by 2028 due to new EU medical device regulations, with many opting to replace it with the more accurate non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT), SVT Nyheter reports.

Alexandra Van Damme, who received a false-positive KUB result during pregnancy indicating a high risk of trisomy 13 and 18, later confirmed normal through an invasive placental biopsy, told SVT she believes NIPT should already be standard. “I could have avoided those days of anxiety,” she said.

A survey by SVT found that regions like Halland and Värmland plan to replace KUB with NIPT, while Gävleborg already offers NIPT universally. Västra Götaland will begin phasing in universal NIPT this year. Michaela Granfors, chair of the obstetric ultrasound working group at the Swedish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (SFOG), noted that Sweden’s likely new standard will combine detailed ultrasound with NIPT.

Both tests assess probabilities for the three most common chromosomal abnormalities, but NIPT has higher accuracy. Granfors explained that KUB remains useful for detecting anomalies NIPT may miss and that sequential testing (KUB followed by NIPT) reduces the need for invasive procedures. “Neither system is worse—each has strengths, and ultrasound remains central,” she said.

Stockholm resident Van Damme hopes her region adopts NIPT to spare others unnecessary distress. The regional NIPT offerings differ from expanded commercial tests, focusing only on the three primary trisomies and sometimes sex chromosomes.