Pain experience during chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis: a preliminary study.

Area of Science:

• Maternal-fetal medicine
• Pain perception research
• Minimally invasive procedures

Background:

• Fetal sampling procedures like amniocentesis (AC) and transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (TA-CVS) are common in prenatal care.
• Understanding maternal pain perception during these procedures is crucial for patient comfort and informed consent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare maternal pain perception during amniocentesis (AC) and transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (TA-CVS) using different needle gauges.
• To identify factors influencing pain levels during fetal sampling procedures.

Main Methods:

• Three hundred women were divided into three groups: AC (group 1), TA-CVS with a 19-gauge needle (group 2), and TA-CVS with a 20-gauge needle (group 3).
• The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) measured expected pre-sampling pain and actual post-sampling pain.
• Single and multivariate analyses examined factors influencing VAS scores.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in pre-sampling pain perception across the three groups.
• TA-CVS with a 19-gauge needle (VAS 3.62) was significantly more painful than TA-CVS with a 20-gauge needle (VAS 2.49) and AC (VAS 2.68).
• Nulliparous patients, those undergoing 19-gauge TA-CVS, and those with high pre-sampling pain scores reported higher post-procedure pain.

Conclusions:

• Transabdominal chorionic villus sampling with a 19-gauge needle is the most painful fetal sampling procedure.
• The use of a 19-gauge needle in TA-CVS may be unnecessary, as acceptable results are achieved with a 20-gauge needle, potentially reducing patient discomfort.