SARS-CoV-2 variant-related abnormalities detected by prenatal MRI: a prospective case-control study.

Background: There are known complications for fetuses after infection with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy. However, previous studies of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy have largely been limited to histopathologic studies of placentas and prenatal studies on the effects of different SARS-CoV-2 variants are scarce to date. To examine the effects of SARS-CoV-2 variants on the placenta and fetus, we investigated fetal and extra-fetal structures using prenatal MRI.

Association of congenital cardiac defects and the C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism.

Objective: MTHFR C677T polymorphism and hyperhomocysteinemia have been associated with congenital malformations of the heart and neural tube defects. A common missense mutation in the MTHFR gene (C to T substitution at position 677) produces a variant with reduced enzymatic action. The aim of this retrospective case control study was to investigate whether the occurrence of the MTHFR polymorphism is increased in mothers and fathers of children with a congenital heart disease (CHD) in our population.

The influence of the experience of the investigator on the rate of sonographic diagnosis of fetal malformations in Vienna.

The quality of prenatal ultrasound may be influenced by different factors. In this study, the influence of the experience of the investigator on the quality of routine ultrasound screening during pregnancy was evaluated. We related the detection rate of fetal malformations in routine ultrasound screening in the region of Vienna to the experience level of the examiner.

Chromosomal abnormalities: how much can we predict by ultrasound examination in low-risk pregnancies?

We examined the rates of chromosomal anomalies detected by ultrasound investigations for the whole region of Vienna. We evaluated the data of 250 private offices, 10 clinics for Obstetrics and Gynecology, and one university Department of Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy during the period from January, 1990, to July, 1991. The study group consisted of low-risk patients, since cases where prenatal karyotyping has been performed for other reasons than sonographic findings (for example, maternal age) were excluded from the study.

Complications of cordocentesis in high-risk pregnancies: effects on fetal loss or preterm delivery.

Between 1990 and 1993, 166 cases underwent cordocentesis and were followed for at least the following 4 weeks in the Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy Centre of Vienna University. The indications for the procedure were structural malformations in 46.4 per cent of the cases, other high-risk diagnosis in 48.