Prenatal diagnosis of fetal varicella-zoster virus infection with polymerase chain reaction of amniotic fluid in 107 cases.

Objective: Varicella, resulting from primary infection by varicella zoster virus, carries a risk of severe congenital varicella. Prenatal diagnosis is rarely applied because methods remain to be validated.

Study Design: From 1989 to 1994, 107 women contracted clinical varicella before 24 weeks of pregnancy.

[Intrauterine fetal transfusion in twin pregnancy with Rh isoimmunization].

Two women with twin pregnancy and with Rhesus isoimmunization were described. The disease of these women was so grave that intrauterine transfusions were made in both fetuses (from all 86 pregnancies treated with transfusions). Twins of one of the women were born alive, but the other twins died in utero.