Is pregnancy loss after amniocentesis related to the volume of amniotic fluid obtained?
OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine whether pregnancy loss after amniocentesis is related to the amount of amniotic fluid obtained during the procedure. STUDY DESIGN: The study enrolled 2,400 women, all in their sixteenth to twentieth week of pregnancy. A 22G spinal needle was inserted for amniocentesis. The amount of amniotic fluid obtained from 1,200 patients in Group 1 was 4 ml and from 1,200 patients in Group 2 was 20 ml. In Group 1, the amniotic fluid was analyzed with a quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction technique, whereas in Group 2, conventional cytogenetic analysis was used. SPSS 16.0 (chi-square and t tests) was used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: In Group 1, postamniocentesis premature rupture of membranes (PROM) occurred in four patients (0.3%). There was one unintended fetal loss and postamniocentesis miscarriage rate was 0.08%. In Group 2, postamniocentesis PROM occurred in 12 patients (1%). Eight of these patients experienced fetal loss (0.67%).
