The value of cordocentesis in current management of intrauterine patient

Analyzing the clinical group to evaluate current indications for cordocenteses, their complications and data obtained in further pregnancy management.

Retrospective analysis evaluated 92 cordocenteses (diagnostic and therapeutic) performed during the period of 2007‒2018. These were performed between 17 and 36 weeks of gestation under ultrasound guidance by a specialist at 2nd Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University.

Out of 92 procedures, 78 were diagnostic and 14 were therapeutic. The diagnostic cordocentesis was successful in 97.4 % and intrauterine therapy was successful in 85.7 %. There were 2 (2.56 %) diagnostic cordocenteses complicated by fetal demise and 2 (14 %) intrauterine demises in therapeutic cordocentesis. The pathological karyotype was detected in 14.5 %. Aneuploidia was present in 4 cases (44.4 %), mosaicism in 4 cases (44.4 %) and triploidia in one case (11.1 %).

Despite of novel molecular genetic technique cordocentesis still plays unreplaceable role in current prenatal diagnosis and treatment. The risk of complications of cordocentesis increases depending on the severity of fetal pathology in pathologic pregnancies. In some situations it can be used as a useful tool for original fetal diagnosis and therapy (Tab. 3, Ref. 20).