PRENATAL RHD-TYPING OF THE FETUS USING POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION IN AMNIOTIC CELLS

In Rhesus incompatibility, prenatal RhD typing of the fetus requires intrauterine blood sampling by cordocentesis or by chorionic villus biopsy. Amniocentesis is easier to perform, and carries a lower risk of enhancement of maternal immunization. Therefore, we evaluated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for fetal RhD typing in amniocytes which were isolated fi-om amniotic fluid (18-40 gw) obtained by amniocentesis (n = 26) or during delivery (n = 27). In the clinically most important group of children from RhD-negative women (n = 25) and in 28 newborns of RhD- positive mothers, we found a 100 percent agreement between the findings of PCR and the results of serologic typing. If these encouraging results are confirmed in a larger series, the method could be used for the clinical management of RhD-negative women with Rhesus incompatibility and a heterozygous RhD-positive partner.