Author Description

This book is a concise guide to ultrasound guided invasive prenatal diagnostic techniques for clinicians. Beginning with discussion on the evolution of prenatal diagnosis, the next chapters cover historical aspects of invasive prenatal diagnosis, patient counselling prior to invasive procedures, and ethical and legal issues. The following sections explain the principles of ultrasound guided invasive prenatal diagnosis, procedural prerequisites, and then details individual techniques to test for foetal abnormalities including amniocentesis (taking a sample of amniotic fluid), chorionic villous sampling (taking a sample of cells from the tissue of the placenta), cordocentesis (taking a sample of the umbilical cord), and embryoscopy (insertion of an embryoscope through the mother’s abdominal wall and uterus for direct examination of an embryo). The book concludes with a final chapter on prenatal diagnosis techniques in multiple pregnancy, followed by suggestions for further reading. Key points Guide to ultrasound guided invasive prenatal diagnostic techniques Explains general aspects including pre-procedure patient counselling and ethical and legal issues Detailed discussion on different techniques to test for foetal abnormalities Text enhanced by more than 70 clinical photographs and diagrams