Medical Conferences

In the prenatal diagnosis of fetus in the womb is investigated for possible diseases. We distinguish the non-invasive diagnostics such as ultrasound and lab tests and invasive diagnostics such as amniocentesis, cord blood or placental tissue, or surgery in the fetus itself.

The prenatal beyond the current diagnostic ultrasound examination is recommended by the gynecologist if familial risk factors for certain diseases are available, the mother 35 to 40 years old or older or if the investigations as part of antenatal irregularities have been discovered.

In cardiac ultrasound examinations can (eg, cardiac arrhythmias, holes) in the heart wall, are detected abnormalities of organs (eg jaw and palate, spina bifida, malformations in the gastrointestinal tract, skeletal defects).

The nuchal translucency measurement during ultrasound can already give an indication as to whether there is a fetus trisomy 21.

If an amniocentesis is removed with a thin needle through the abdominal wall of the mother a small amount of amniotic fluid. The investigation of the child’s cells from the amniotic fluid is the exclusion of trisomy 21, the so-called Down syndrome child, but will also identify other childhood disorder. In the presence of a genetic disease in the parents so they can determine whether the child is a carrier of this disease.

Among the invasive methods is a small risk of miscarriage of 1 to 4% after the fruit water, the collection of umbilical cord blood or placental biopsy. Therefore, noninvasive methods should be carefully weighed, and only after a suspicious ultrasound findings and applied in view of reasonable suspicion.