[Diagnostic advances in chromosomal analysis]

It is now known that chromosome disorders form a major category of genetic disease, accounting for a large proportion of all reproductive wastage, congenital malformations, and mental retardation, as well as playing an important role in the pathogenesis of malignancy. A variety of new techniques can be used to identify the chromosomal location of genes directly that promises to revolutionize the field of chromosomal analysis.