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Endoscopic examination of the fetus in early pregnancy
P Greco1, A Vimercati, S Bettocchi
1Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Bari, Italy. p.greco@gynecology2.uniba.it
Objective:
To assess if fetal examination is feasible by endoscopy in the late first-early second trimester.
Setting:
Tertiary referral center for high risk obstetrics and genetics.
Patients And Methods:
Patients (total number 9) submitted to pregnancy termination for social reason (7) or for chromosomal abnormality (2) between 10 and 14 weeks of pregnancy. Visualisation of the foetus by a transabdominally introduced endoscope (19 gauge) under local anaesthesia. Step by step examination of the foetal contour and double check of the recordings by a senior Pathologist.
Results:
Patients complained no serious discomfort. Visualisation was accomplished in all cases with ease and the images were judged satisfactory by the Pathologist. Fetal examination was found easier at 10-12 weeks of gestation rather than at 13-14 weeks.
Discussion:
Endoscopy is a simple and well tolerated procedure, which enables precise visualization of external fetal anatomy as early as the first trimester of gestation. Therefore it can be proposed before surgical termination of pregnancy.