Prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations in 500 pregnancies

Abstract

The organization, techniques used and diagnostic findings of 500 prenatal diagnoses are reported in detail. In 15 cases the pregnancy was terminated because of abnormal laboratory findings. Follow-up of the remaining pregnancies revealed a perinatal mortality of 1.7%, and the risk of an abortion induced by amniocentesis, performed in the 15–16th wk, to be 1–2%. Serious counseling problems arose in 2 cases with trisomy X, in 2 instances of a balanced chromosome translocation and in 1 case of a de novo translocation.