Fetal loss following second trimester amniocentesis. Who is at greater risk? How to counsel pregnant women?

Objective: The purpose of this retrospective observational cohort study was to determine the impact of certain risk factors on fetal loss, after mid-trimester amniocentesis.

Material And Methods: Six thousand seven-hundred and fifty-two (6752) consecutive amniocenteses with known pregnancy outcome performed during a 7-year period (2004-2010) were included in this study. Different maternal-, fetal- and procedure-related factors were evaluated in this study.

Risk for fetal loss and prematurity after 12,413 second trimester amniocenteses in a single center.

Objectives: The purpose of this retrospective controlled study is to estimate the risk for fetal loss and preterm delivery attributed to second trimester amniocentesis from a single tertiary center.

Methods: The study group consists of 12,413 singleton pregnancies with consecutive amniocenteses, performed in a single tertiary center during a 15-year period (1996-2010) with known pregnancy outcome. The control group consisted of 6993 pregnancies with negative second trimester screening for aneuploidies during the same period who did not have any invasive test.

Invasive diagnostic procedures and risk of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.

Objective: To determine whether the risk of hypertensive complications differs among low-risk women who undergo prenatal diagnosis via chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis.

Methods: In a retrospective study, data were analyzed from women who underwent prenatal diagnosis by CVS or amniocentesis at Alexandra Maternity Hospital, Athens, Greece, between 1998 and 2011. All women had either transabdominal CVS at 10-13 weeks of pregnancy with a 20-gauge needle, or amniocentesis at 17-21 weeks with a 22-gauge needle, both under direct ultrasound guidance.

Induction of labor versus expectant management for pregnancies beyond 41 weeks.

Objective: To compare the outcome following labor induction at 41 + 1 weeks of gestation and after expectant management and selective induction at 42 completed weeks.

Method: A retrospective analysis of post-term pregnancies in a 2-year period. In the induction group, women at 41 + 1 weeks of gestation received 3 mg prostaglandin E2 (dinoprostone) in the posterior fornix, repeating the dose 6 h later.