Amniocentesis / Chorionic Villus Sampling

Amniocentesis

Amniocentesis is mainly used in diagnosis of fetal chromosomal abnormalities, commonly used on Down’s syndrome testing. It is recommended to perform after 16 weeks of pregnancy. The whole process is performed under ultrasound guidance. Doctor will choose a proper puncture site for amniocentesis by ultrasound. Local anesthetics will be infiltrated on abdomen around the puncture site. A needle will be inserted into the uterus through abdomen to collect the amniotic fluid for testing. Amniocentesis is an invasive testing method, there is 1-2% risk of miscarriage after the procedure.

Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)

Chorionic villus is part of placenta. CVS is used in diagnosis of fetal chromosomal abnormalities and also other genetical diseases, commonly used on Down’s Syndrome testing. CVS is recommended to perform between 11-13 weeks of pregnancy. The whole process is performed under ultrasound guidance. Doctor will choose a proper puncture site for amniocentesis by ultrasound. Local anesthetics will be infiltrated on abdomen around the puncture site. A needle will be inserted into the uterus through abdomen to collect the placental tissue. CVS is an invasive testing method, there is 1-2% risk of miscarriage after the procedure.

During the procedure, a needle would be inserted into the placenta through maternal abdomen and uterus to obtain some placental tissue. The whole procedure will be under ultrasound guidance. Since this is an invasive test, there is 1-2% risk of miscarriage after the procedure.