HEMATOLOGIC VALUES OF FETAL BLOOD OBTAINED BY MEANS OF CORDOCENTESIS

Fetal blood values were evaluated from 541 cordocenteses. Simple regre ssions were used to find a correlation between blood values and gestat ional age. We found a linear increase in hemoglobin concentration and heamtocrit throughout gestation; a linear decrease of the mean corpusc ular volume with the gestation was evidenced as a regular decrease in mean corpuscular hemoglobin. Lastly, the mean corpuscular hemoglobin c oncentration was constant during the gestation; a linear increase of t he platelet count and the nucleated cells was also evidenced. We sugge st that each fetal medicine unit should have its own reference ranges. It will permit to accurately diagnose fetal infection, fetal anemia, or any fetal disease where alterations of hematopoiesis have been desc ribed.