CHORIONIC VILLUS SAMPLING SAFETY - REPORT OF WORLD-HEALTH-ORGANIZATION EURO MEETING IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE 7TH INTERNATIONAL-CONFERENCE ONEARLY PRENATAL-DIAGNOSIS OF GENETIC-DISEASES, TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL, MAY 21, 1994

Accumulated experience of 138,996 cases of chorionic villus sampling s hows that chorionic villus sampling is a safe procedure with an associ ated fetal loss rate comparable to that of amniocentesis. The chorioni c villus sampling registry shows that chorionic villus sampling is cur rently performed primarily between 9 and 12 weeks' gestation and carri ed no increased risk of limb reduction defects: the overall incidence of limb reduction defects after chorionic villus sampling is 5.2 to 5. 7 per 10,000, compared with 4.8 to 5.97 per 10,000 in the general popu lation. Analysis of the pattern distribution of limb defects after cho rionic villus sampling revealed no difference from the pattern in the general population. This applies specifically to transverse limb defec ts. Together with the overall incidence of limb reduction defects, the se data provide no evidence for any risk for congenital malformation d etermined by chorionic villus sampling. Because chorionic villus sampl ing is currently performed generally after 8 completed weeks of pregna ncy, few data are available for analysis of complications related to e arlier procedures. Avoiding early chorionic villus sampling also exclu des sampling in cases of early fetal death, which can be diagnosed rel iably by ultrasonography at 9 weeks of pregnancy.