Cytogenetic analysis of fetal chondrocytes: a comparative study

Progress in the prevention and prenatal detection of birth defects has led to a relative increase in the number of interruption of pregnancies associated with chromosomal abnormalities. There is an inverse relationship between the rate of success of fetal cell cultures and the interval between fetal demise and the initiation of culture. This report describes the cytogenetic analyses of cultured fetal chondrocytes compared with tissue cultures of fetal skin, fetal membranes, and placenta. The results show that cells obtained from the fetal chondrocostal junction and/or patella from missed abortions, intrauterine fetal deaths, or stillbirths can be cultured and successfully karyotyped. Since cartilage cells remain viable for some time after fetal demise, the culture of fetal chondrocytes is a complementary method for fetal chromosome analysis, especially in cases of tissue maceration after fetal demise. The success rate of chondrocyte cultures is similar to that of conventional fetal tissue cultures.