Amniocentesis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Amniocentesis, including details on pregnancy, prenatal screening, diagnosis, risks, down syndrome.

Hypospadias mimicking female genitalia on early second trimester sonographic examination.

Odeh M, Ophir E, Bornstein J

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Western Galilee Hospital, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Nahariya 22100, Haifa, Israel.

Female fetal sex was assigned based on downward direction of the genital tubercle at 14 weeks' gestation. Subsequently, amniocentesis performed due to the finding of an echogenic focus in the left ventricle revealed a male karyotype. Sonographic examination at 22 weeks' gestation revealed a markedly curved penile shaft. Power Doppler at that time demonstrated a urine jet emanating from the penile base, verifying the diagnosis of penoscrotal hypospadias. We therefore suggest that female fetal sex assignment should be based on the demonstration of the 2 or 4 parallel lines representing the labial folds and not only upon the demonstration of the downward direction of the genital tubercle. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2008.

Published 23 April 2008 in J Clin Ultrasound.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Amniocentesis published 22 April 2008:

Insulin-like factor 3 levels in amniotic fluid of human male fetuses.   Hum Reprod, 23(5): 1180-6.

BACKGROUND: Rodent studies suggest that the peptide hormone insulin-like factor 3 (Insl3) made by the fetal testis is responsible for the first transabdominal phase of testicular descent, and may be affected by xenobiotics to disrupt male reproductive tract development. To date, there is very little information on the production of INSL3 by the human fetus during gestation. The objective of the present study was to determine the concentrations and time course during pregnancy of INSL3 and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amniocentesis published 18 April 2008:

Prenatal Diagnosis in the First Trimester of Pregnancy.   Obstet Gynecol Surv, 63(5): 317-328.

In the past 2 decades, the second trimester of pregnancy has been the most common time for prenatal diagnosis of fetal anomalies and chromosomal aneuploidies. More recently, screening for and diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities are increasingly being performed in the first trimester. With improvements and technological advances in ultrasound, it is now possible to identify many fetal structural anomalies at 11 to 13 6/7 weeks' gestation. At 10 to 11 weeks' gestation, biochemical markers in ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amniocentesis published 17 April 2008:

Screening advances and diagnostic choice: the problem of residual risk.   Fetal Diagn Ther, 23(4): 308-15.

OBJECTIVE: Over the past decade some authorities have suggested that advanced screening methodologies obviate the need for more invasive, diagnostic procedures. Data on Down syndrome (DS) births for Colorado from 1989 to 2005 were used to examine the implications of a decreasing use of amniocentesis. METHODS: Publicly available, State of Colorado Department of Public Health data on DS birth rates for women were compared to amniocentesis use at Colorado's largest prenatal diagnostic center. ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amniocentesis published 15 April 2008:

Effects of reiki in clinical practice: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials.   Int J Clin Pract.

Introduction: The aim of this systematic review is to summarise and critically evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of reiki. Methods: We searched the literature using 23 databases from their respective inceptions through to November 2007 (search again 23 January 2008) without language restrictions. Methodological quality was assessed using the Jadad score. Results: The searches identified 205 potentially relevant studies. Nine randomised clinical trials (RCTs) met our inclusion ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amniocentesis published 11 April 2008:

Dichorionic triamniotic triplet pregnancy with monozygotic twins discordant for trisomy 13 after preimplantation genetic screening: case report.   Fertil Steril.

OBJECTIVE: To report the first dichorionic triamniotic triplet pregnancy discordant for trisomy 13 after in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment with preimplantation genetic screening (PGS). DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Private IVF center. PATIENT(S): A 40-year-old para 1+6 woman. INTERVENTION(S): IVF combined with PGS for chromosomes 13, 16, 18, 21, and 22, resulting in the transfer of two embryos. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Prenatal fetal ultrasonography revealed a dichorionic triamniotic ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amniocentesis published 8 April 2008:

Nucleated red blood cells are a direct response to mediators of inflammation in newborns with early-onset neonatal sepsis.   Am J Obstet Gynecol, 198(4): 426.e1-9.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that inflammation modulates fetal erythroblastosis and/or the release of nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) independent of hypoxia or fetal stress. We sought to determine whether fetal inflammation is associated with an elevation in neonatal NRBC count in the setting of inflammation-associated preterm birth. STUDY DESIGN: The relationships between peripheral NRBC count, histological chorioamnionitis, umbilical cord interleukin ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amniocentesis published 4 April 2008:

Chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis in 2008.   Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol, 20(2): 164-8.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Over the past decades there have been wide discrepancies between quoted risks of diagnostic procedures (chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis) yet little properly controlled and randomized data to back often dogmatic assertions. Here, we review the historical and current literature to determine realistic estimates. RECENT FINDINGS: Several papers this past year have addressed in cohort studies and meta-analyses composite risks for both chorionic villus sampling and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Amniocentesis published 3 April 2008:

Optimized criteria for using fluorescence in situ hybridization in the prenatal diagnosis of common aneuploidies.   Prenat Diagn, 28(4): 313-8.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the medical and economic performance of three strategies for selecting patients eligible for interphase FISH in the prenatal diagnosis of common aneuploidies. METHODS: We evaluated three protocols on the same population that was referred for prenatal diagnosis between June 2001 and December 2006. The number of aneuploidies detected by FISH and the relative cost (reagent and technical staff cost) are reported for each strategy. RESULTS: 2707 women were referred for ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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