ACUTE HEMODYNAMIC-EFFECTS INDUCED BY CHORIONIC VILLUS SAMPLING - A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate the effects of chorionic villus sampling on the fetal heart rate, the fetal umbilical artery pulsatil ity index, and the maternal arcuate artery resistance index. STUDY DES IGN: M-mode fetal heart rate, pulsed Doppler fetal umbilical artery pu lsatility index, and maternal arcuate artery resistance index measurem ents were obtained before and immediately after chorionic villus sampl ing in 50 patients and were compared with 50 procedure-free, gestation al age-matched controls. Comparisons within groups were performed with paired T tests and mean changes between groups with two-sample T test s, and variance comparisons between groups were performed with F tests . RESULTS: The mean changes (SD) in fetal heart rate, umbilical artery pulsatility index, and arcuate artery resistance index in patients un dergoing chorionic villus sampling and in controls were not statistica lly different from zero or from each other. However, the variance arou nd the mean fetal heart rate change was 17.1 times larger in the chori onic villus sampling group than the control group (F 17.1, degrees of freedom 49,49, p < 0.0001), and the variance around the mean pulsatili ty index change was 2.7 times larger in the chorionic villus sampling group than in the control group (F 2.7, degrees of freedom 49,49, p = 0.0007). There was no significant difference in mean resistance index change or variance around the mean resistance index change between gro ups. CONCLUSION: Chorionic villus sampling induces significant but unp redictable fluctuations in fetal heart rate and umbilical artery pulsa tility index but does not affect maternal arcuate artery resistance in dex.