Amniocentesis in HIV pregnant women: 16 years of experience

Invasive Prenatal Diagnostic Testing for Aneuploidies in Singleton Pregnancies: A Comparative Review of Major Guidelines

Sophisticated screening protocols for genetic abnormalities constitute an important component of current prenatal care, aiming to identify high-risk pregnancies and offer appropriate counseling to parents regarding their options. Definite prenatal diagnosis is only possible by invasive prenatal diagnostic testing (IPDT), mainly including amniocentesis and chorionic villous sampling (CVS). The aim of this comparative review was to summarize and compare the existing recommendations on IPDT from the most influential guidelines. All the reviewed guidelines highlight that IPDT is indicated based on a positive screening test rather than maternal age alone. Other indications arise from medical history and sonography, with significant variations identified between the guidelines. The earlier time for amniocentesis is unequivocally set at ≥15 gestational weeks, whereas for CVS, the earlier limit varies from ≥10 to ≥11 weeks. Certain technical aspects and the overall approach demonstrate significant differences. Periprocedural management regarding Rhesus alloimmunization, virologic status and use of anesthesia or antibiotics are either inconsistent or insufficiently addressed. The synthesis of an evidence-based algorithm for IPDT is of crucial importance to healthcare professionals implicated in prenatal care to avoid unnecessary interventions without compromising optimal prenatal care.

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic process on prenatal diagnostic procedures

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the accessibility of pregnant women to prenatal screening and diagnostic tests during the COVID-19 pandemic process and analyze the effect of the pandemic process on acceptance-rejection rates of fetal diagnostic procedures for high risk pregnancies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

As part of this cross-sectional study, during the pandemic, between the dates of 11 March 2020-30 June 2020 at Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Medicine Perinatology Clinic, fetal structural anomaly detected by ultrasonography or with increased risk in screening test in the first and second trimester of high risk pregnancies, who were therefore recommended a prenatal diagnosis test, were defined as the control group and retrospectively compared with high risk pregnancies of the same periods (11 March 2019-30 June 2019) in the previous year.

RESULTS

A total of 267 cases were evaluated within the scope of the study. The rate of pregnant women undergoing the first and second trimester screening tests was 83% in the control group and 56% for pregnant women in the study group. When the total number of prenatal diagnostic procedures and the year each of the procedures performed are compared, a statistically significant difference was found between the study and control groups (p: .041 and p < .001, respectively). When evaluating the rates of performed prenatal diagnostic procedures during the first patient visit in comparison to years, a statistically significant difference was observed in the A/S group and in the total number of cases (p = .023, p < .001, respectively). Similarly, the rate of performed prenatal diagnostic procedure during the first patient visit and the patient's city of residence was similarly statistically significant from year to year (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

The decrease in number of prenatal diagnosis and screening tests during the COVID-19 pandemic draws attention. Prenatal care services are a serious issue that cannot be overcome by any deficiencies in both maternal and fetal care.

Diagnosis for choroideremia in a large Chinese pedigree by next‑generation sequencing (NGS) and non‑invasive prenatal testing (NIPT)

To develop an effective strategy to isolate and use cell‑free fetal DNA (cffDNA) for the combined use of next‑generation sequencing (NGS) for diagnosing choroideremia and non‑invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for Y chromosome determination, a large Chinese family with an X‑linked recessive disease, choroideremia, was recruited. Cell‑free DNA was extracted from maternal plasma, and SRY polymerase chain reaction amplification was performed using NIPT. Sanger sequencing was subsequently used for fetal amniotic fluid DNA verification. A nonsense mutation (c.C799T:p.R267X) of the CHM gene on the X chromosome of the proband (IV:7) and another 5 males with choroideremia were detected, while 3 female carriers with no symptoms were also identified. The fetus (VI:7) was identified as female from the cffDNA, and the same heterozygous nonsense mutation present in her mother was also confirmed. At one and a half years of age, the female baby did not present with any associated symptoms of choroideremia. Therefore, cffDNA was successfully used for the combined use of NGS for diagnosing choroideremia in a large Chinese pedigree, and NIPT for Y chromosome determination. This approach should result in a markedly increased use of prenatal diagnosis and improvement, and more sophisticated clinical management of diseases in China and other developing countries. The establishment of a highly accurate method for prenatal gene diagnosis will allow for more reliable gene diagnosis, improved genetic counseling, and personalized clinical management of our patients.

Amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling in HIV-infected pregnant women: a multicentre case series

OBJECTIVES

To assess in pregnant women with HIV the rates of amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS), and the outcomes associated with such procedures.

DESIGN

Observational study. Data from the Italian National Program on Surveillance on Antiretroviral Treatment in Pregnancy were used.

SETTING

University and hospital clinics.

POPULATION

Pregnant women with HIV.

METHODS

Temporal trends were analysed by analysis of variance and by the Chi-square test for trend. Quantitative variables were compared by Student's t-test and categorical data by the Chi-square test, with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals calculated.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Rate of invasive testing, intrauterine death, HIV transmission.

RESULTS

Between 2001 and 2015, among 2065 pregnancies in women with HIV, 113 (5.5%) had invasive tests performed. The procedures were conducted under antiretroviral treatment in 99 cases (87.6%), with a significant increase over time in the proportion of tests performed under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) (100% in 2011-2015). Three intrauterine deaths were observed (2.6%), and 14 pregnancies were terminated because of fetal anomalies. Among 96 live newborns, eight had no information available on HIV status. Among the remaining 88 cases with either amniocentesis (n = 75), CVS (n = 12), or both (n = 1), two HIV transmissions occurred (2.3%). No HIV transmission occurred among the women who were on HAART at the time of invasive testing, and none after 2005.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings reinforce the assumption that invasive prenatal testing does not increase the risk of HIV vertical transmission among pregnant women under suppressive antiretroviral treatment.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

No HIV transmission occurred among women who underwent amniocentesis or CVS under effective anti-HIV regimens.

Changing indications for invasive testing in an era of improved screening

Prenatal diagnostic testing is available for a growing number of disorders. The goal of prenatal diagnosis was initially focused on the identification of Down syndrome in women aged 35 years and older, but invasive prenatal genetic techniques can now detect a far broader array of conditions. The risks of invasive procedures have also decreased over time. Advances in genomic medicine allow testing for smaller but significant chromosomal abnormalities known as copy number variants, in addition to major aneuploidies and structural rearrangements. Molecular DNA techniques can detect many single-gene conditions. In the future, it is likely that whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing will be applied to prenatal genetic testing to allow identification of yet more genetic disorders. With advances in technology, the indications for testing have likewise evolved far beyond recommendations based solely on maternal age to include a more patient-centered view of the goals of prenatal testing.

Strategies for the prevention of mother to child transmission in Western countries: an update

BACKGROUND

During the last decades remarkable scientific advances have been made toward the prevention of HIV mother-to-child transmission, in particular in developed nations. The aim of this review was to analyze the latest findings and available international recommendations on the prevention of HIV mother-to-child transmission in high-income countries.

METHODS

We performed a literature search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE by PubMed and EMBASE from database inception through June 2014, using the following terms: HIV, mother-to-child transmission and mother-to-child-transmission prevention. All types of articles in the English language were included. US and available European guidelines were searched and included in the analysis.

RESULTS

One hundred fifty articles were selected for inclusion in this review.

CONCLUSIONS

Global epidemiology of HIV infection is rapidly evolving, in particular in high-resource countries. The interpretation of clinical and epidemiological studies is crucial for the development of evidence-based recommendations to guide the management of HIV mother-to-child transmission. Although significant progress has been made, heterogeneity between countries in specific interventions still exists, which may address future research.