LATE CHORIONIC VILLUS SAMPLING - CYTOGENETIC ASPECTS

Cytogenetic data about 145 chorionic villus samples obtained between t he 13th and 35th week of gestation are reported. 'Late' chorionic vill us sampling (CVS) was used to resolve different situations: failed amn iotic fluid cell cultures (5 cases); confirmation of an abnormal karyo type, previously diagnosed as mosaic (14 cases); and ultrasound fetal malformation (23 cases). Most of the samples (103 cases) were analysed for the classical indications and in these cases, the principal aim w as to obtain a rapid fetal karyotype. Excluding the cases used to chec k fetal karyotype, a chromosomal aberration was found in 11 out of 131 biopsies. In four cases of the group in which the fetal karyotype was checked (14 cases), the pathology observed at the first diagnosis was confirmed, while in the remaining ten cases the anomaly was not obser ved.