Investigating the Complications of Transplacental Needle Passage in Amniocentesis

Background and purpose: Amniocentesis is the most commonly used method for diagnosis of aneuploidand other genetic disorders of the fetus. Cautious should be taken when entering the amniocentesisneedle to avoid entering the placenta. The purpose of this study was to investigate the consequences ofneedle transposition from the placenta during amniocentesis.Materials and methods: In a cohort study, 1000 pregnant women candidates for amniocentesis wereselected from Mashhad Perinatology Clinic, 2014-2016. A needle was inserted into the gestational sac and20cc amniotic fluid was taken, using the ultrasound guidance. Passage or not passage of needle throughthe placenta was recorded and complications such as abortion, spotting, preterm labor, and rupture ofmembrane in each group were compared. Data analysis was done in SPSS applying Kolmogorov-Smirnovtest, t-test, and Chi-square. The relative risk (RR) was also calculated.Results: The mean age of participants was 33.4 years old (16-48 years of age). Spotting afteramniocentesis was recorded in 1.4% nontransplacental amniocentesis and in 6.1% of transplacentalamniocentesis (RR; 6.85, p=0.03). There was no significant relationship between needle passage throughthe placenta and other complications such as abortion, amnionitis, preterm labor, and amniotic fluidleakage following amniocentesis (p=0.08).Conclusion: Our study showed that transplacental amniocentesis is a safe procedure. Current findingsshowed that transplacental amniocentesis increases the probability of spotting following amniocentesis.

Keywords:

amniocentesis , abortion , amnionitis , preterm labor , complications