Cord blood unit bankability can be predicted by prenatal sonographic parameters

To identify possible sonographic prenatal parameters and postnatal parameters in order to obtain more bankable cord blood units (CBUs) containing a high number of primitive progenitor cells, allowing CBUs to be used as a source of haematopoietic progenitors for clinical transplantation.

Prospective study undertaken in the Department of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Science, Second University of Naples, Italy. In total, 219 unrelated CBU donors were enrolled. Ultrasound parameters (biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length, estimation of fetal weight, umbilical artery pulsatility index), collected at hospital admission, together with birth weight and placental weight, were correlated with bankable CBU parameters (CBU volume, total nucleated cell count, CD34+ cell count).

Femur length and abdominal circumference correlated positively with bankable CBUs. Receiver operating curve analysis showed that these parameters can identify bankable CBUs.

This is the first prospective study to show the relationship between ultrasonographic fetal parameters at term and the possibility of obtaining high-quality CBUs. As such, cord blood banking could be improved worldwide by performing low-cost ultrasonographic scans.