The impact of utilization of early aneuploidy screening on amniocenteses available for training in obstetrics and fetal medicine

Abstract

First-trimester aneuploidy screening has high detection rates and low false-positive rates. Their use as well as the implementation of non-invasive prenatal testing may affect specialty training in prenatal diagnosis procedures. Descriptive study of first-trimester aneuploidy screening and amniocentesis in an obstetric training program. Screening methods were tracked from their introduction in 2004 through 2011. The volume of amniocentesis procedures from 2000 to 2011 was evaluated. First-trimester screening tests increased from 283 to 1225 between 2005 and 2011, whereas genetic amniocenteses declined from 460 to 168 during the same period. The percent of older women who chose a first-trimester screen test rose from 12.7% to 44.2% First-trimester screening options reduce genetic amniocenteses available for training. Fetal medicine and general obstetrics training programs need to evaluate their clinical experience and determine whether simulation training methods are needed for education.