Perinatal complications of amniocentesis

Abstract

Amniocentesis is a procedure commonly used to diagnose chromosomal abnormalities, fetal aneuploidy and other genetic disorders. Complications of amniocentesis include pain, vaginal spotting, amniotic fluid leakage, miscarriage and preterm labor. The purpose of this research is to determine the complication and pregnancy loss rates after amniocentesis. This retrospective study was performed including the patients admitted to the Prenatal diagnosis center at Zeynep Kamil Hospital in 2009. The number of the pregnant women who were admitted for amniocentesis was 705. The number of the pregnant women who underwent amniocentesis for different reasons was 597. Some of the patients (n=108) refused the procedure and served as our control group. Results. Having abnormal maternal serum screening results was the most common indication for amniocentesis (37.2%). The most common complications were abdominal pain (4.4%), vaginal spotting (2%), amniotic fluid leakage (0.8%). Total fetal loss after amniocentesis was 2.2% (n=13). Amniotic fluid leakage prevalence at the cases that had fetal loss was 37.5%. Abdominal pain and vaginal spotting prevalence at the cases that had fetal losses were 75% and 87.5% respectively. Parents considering prenatal diagnosis must be fully informed about the risks and benefits. The patients who experience early complications such as vaginal spotting, abdominal pain, and amniotic fluid leakage have higher risk of fetal losses. <br/><a href=