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Published on: October 25, 2015
Three years' experience of using a 29-gauge atraumatic needle for amniocentesis
Michael Tchirikov1, Carola Arnold, Viktor Oshovskyy
1University Clinic of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, University Medical Center Halle (Saale), Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst Grube Strasse 40, Halle, Germany. michael.tchirikov@uk-halle.de
Aims:
To quantify the procedure-related complication rate after using modified technique of amniocentesis with a 29-gauge (29-G) pencil-point needle.
Methods:
This is a prospective, descriptive study of 316 amniocenteses that were performed by means of atraumatic 29-G pencil-point needle under ultrasound control.
Results:
A total of 316 amniocenteses were observed through the postprocedural period. The median time needed to retrieve 15 mL of amniotic fluid was 4 min. A total of 19 pregnancies were terminated after genetic testing. No case was regarded as procedure-related fetal loss. No other complications were observed. Seventeen children were born before 37 completed weeks of gestation and five children had a birth weight <2000 g.
Conclusions:
Amniocentesis with the 29-G atraumatic pencil-point needle seems to be a safe procedure with extremely low risk of complications and is a good alternative to the traditional 22-G Quincke needle.
