Author Interviews, Columbia, Genetic Research, OBGYNE / 03.11.2016
Fetal Structural Defects Detected Later in Pregnancy Than Chromosomal Abnormalities
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Sarah Horvath, MD
Paula M. Castaño, MD, MPH
Anne R. Davis, MD, MPH
Columbia University Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Approximately 3% of pregnant women in the United States will receive a prenatal diagnosis of fetal aneuploidy (such as trisomy 21) or fetal structural abnormality (such as cardiac or CNS malformations). Many of these women will undergo abortion. Advances in screening over the past few decades have allowed earlier diagnosis of aneuploidy, but most structural abnormalities cannot be diagnosed until the anatomy ultrasound at 18-20 weeks gestational age because of fixed patterns of fetal development. Our analysis examines gestational age at time of abortion for these two types of fetal diagnosis from 2004-2014.
Our main finding was that median gestational age at time of abortion for fetal aneuploidy decreased from 19 weeks to 14 weeks. However, over the same 11 year period, median gestational age at time of abortion for fetal structural abnormalities remained unchanged and at or above 20 weeks gestation.
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