[Fetal cells in the maternal blood and prenatal diagnosis]

Fetal loss after amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling is a limit to prenatal diagnosis practice and to its generalization. The existence of fetal cells in the blood of pregnant women is now well established. Recognizing these cells with specific antibodies and isolating them with fluorescent or magnetic systems are the subject of numerous studies. However, to date, neither the sensitivity nor the specificity of these methods are sufficient to allow a non invasive prenatal diagnosis.