GENETIC AMNIOCENTESIS - A 12 YEARS EXPERIENCE

The first 2013 fetuses in 2000 patients undergoing genetic amniocentesis were analyzed for the incidence of abnormal findings and for the safety and accuracy of the procedure. Of the patients, 1% were found to have aneuploid fetuses and another 1% were found to have elevated amniotic fluid concentrations of .alpha.-fetoprotein. Advanced maternal age was the indication for amniocentesis in 84% of the women with aneuploid fetuses. Of the pregnancies, 32 (1.6%) ended in spontaneous abortion and 35 (1.7%) were terminated because of abnormal results of the prenatal diagnostic procedure. The error rate was 0.15%, and tissue culture was successful in 97.7% of the procedures. During the latter part of the experience concurrent ultrasonography was utilized with the amniocentesis, resulting in a reduction in blood-tinged specimens from 15.0% to 5.2%. In experienced hands, mid-trimester amniocentesis for the purpose of prenatal diagnosis of genetically determined defects is a safe, accurate and valuable procedure for the identification of fetal abnormalities.