Prenatal whole exome sequencing (WES) has the potential to increase the ability to provide more diagnostic capabilities in fetuses with sonographic abnormalities, which would then improve the ability ...to counsel families. It is also often the first step in improving the path toward informed diagnosis and treatment, which is especially important in the era of advancing in utero fetal therapy. This article discusses the current literature regarding prenatal WES, clinical indications for WES, challenges with interpretation/counseling (variants of unknown significance), research priorities, ethical issues, and potential future advances.
Maternal implications of placental transfusion Uribe, Katelyn; Chiruvolu, Arpitha; Jelin, Angie C.
Seminars in perinatology,
June 2023, 2023-06-00, 20230601, Letnik:
47, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Placental transfusion for 30–60 s after delivery is recommended by numerous professional societies and is now a common practice. Numerous studies document neonatal benefit with minimal maternal risk ...when routine neonatal stabilization and active management of the third stage of labor are undertaken during the period of delayed cord clamping. Maternal outcomes do not show any increased incidence of postpartum hemorrhage, or need for blood product transfusion in the case of vaginal delivery or cesarean section. Fetomaternal hemorrhage is also likely decreased with delayed cord clamping. In the case of fetal anomalies, cord management should be individualized according to each special circumstance, but is unlikely to lead to increased maternal morbidity. While few studies have investigated maternal outcomes with umbilical cord milking, this practice has not been as widely adopted. With careful monitoring of maternal and fetal well-being, a period of placental transfusion following delivery is advised for benefit of the neonate without significant maternal risk.
Early pregnancy renal anhydramanios (EPRA) occurs when the fetus is anuric before 22 weeks gestational age (GA) and is considered universally lethal. Serial amnioinfusions have successfully ...ameliorated the lethal pulmonary hypoplasia associated with EPRA and have resulted in cases of neonatal survival, peritoneal dialysis, and renal transplant.
We sought to evaluate the lung pathology of untreated fetuses and neonates that had EPRA.
This is a retrospective case series of all fetuses and neonates diagnosed with isolated EPRA that underwent autopsy at a single tertiary care center between 1987 and 2018. Autopsy data were correlated with ultrasound findings and GA at delivery. Fetal weights, lung weights, and lung developmental stage were recorded.
Nineteen cases met criteria for analysis and ranged from 16 to 38 weeks GA at termination or birth. The observed-to-expected (O/E) lung-to-body-weight ratio was significantly associated with GA (r = -0.51, p = 0.03), such that as GA increased the O/E ratio decreased. When limited to patients >22 weeks, this relationship strengthened (r = -0.75, p = 0.01). Importantly, overall O/E body weight had no relationship with GA.
This study shows that the degree of pulmonary hypoplasia in EPRA increases with the length of anhydramnios. This suggests that amnioinfusions are likely to be of most benefit the soonest they can feasibly be initiated.
Anhydramnios caused by early anuria is thought to be universally fatal due to pulmonary hypoplasia. Bilateral renal agenesis and early fetal renal failure leading to anhydramnios constitute early ...pregnancy renal anhydramnios (EPRA). There have been successful reports of amnioinfusions to promote lung growth in the setting of EPRA. Some of these successfully treated EPRA fetuses have survived the neonatal period, undergone successful dialysis, and subsequently received a kidney transplant. Conversely, there are no reports of untreated EPRA survivors. This early success of amnioinfusions to treat EPRA justifies a rigorous prospective trial. The objective of this study is to provide a review of what is known about fetal therapy for EPRA and describe the Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy trial. We review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and genetics of EPRA. Furthermore, we have performed systematic review of case reports of treated EPRA. We describe the ethical framework, logistical challenges, and rationale for the current single center (NCT03101891) and planned multicenter trial.
Introduction
Prenatal ultrasounds often yield indeterminate (incomplete or minor abnormality) findings with limited clinical utility. We evaluate impact of indeterminate findings on maternal anxiety.
...Methods
A single-U.S.-center prospective cohort study administered the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS; control mean = 13.4; > 20 denotes clinically significant anxiety) before and after prenatal ultrasounds in February-May 2017. Ultrasound reports were coded as: normal; indeterminate; or major abnormality. Primary outcome was anxiety after indeterminate vs. normal ultrasounds. Secondary outcomes included anxiety change from pre-to-post-ultrasound and relative to women’s characteristics. Linear regression adjusted for confounders.
Results
Of 286 ultrasounds, 51.0% were normal, 40.5% indeterminate (22.0% incomplete; 18.5% minor abnormality), and 8.0% major abnormalities. Indeterminate findings were unrelated to age, race, parity, infertility, or psychiatric history, but associated with gestational age (26.6%/45.0%/52.5% for first/second/third trimesters; p < 0.001), and obesity (48.8 vs. 37.0%; p = 0.031). Pretest anxiety was highest in second/third trimesters (p = 0.029), and in subjects aged age ≤ 24 or younger(p < 0.001), with a history of anxiety (p < 0.001),) or with prior pregnancy loss (p = 0.011). Mean anxiety score decreased pre-to-posttest across all groups. Indeterminate findings were associated with higher PASS scores than normal findings: pretest 20.1 vs. 16.4 (p = 0.026) and posttest 16.9 vs. 12.2 (p = 0.009; adjusted-p = 0.01). Versus normal ultrasounds, incomplete findings were associated with higher post-ultrasound anxiety (p = 0.007; adjusted-p = 0.01) and smaller decreases from pre-to-posttest (adjusted-p = 0.03), whereas minor abnormalities had higher pretest anxiety (p = 0.029) with larger pre-to-posttest decreases (adjusted-p =0.010).
Discussion
Indeterminate ultrasounds, especially incomplete findings, are associated with significantly higher anxiety than normal findings, suggesting need for evidence-based counseling, management and strategies for decreasing number of indeterminate results.
Abstract
Objective
The study sought to develop and apply a framework that uses a clinical phenotyping tool to assess risk for recurrent preterm birth.
Materials and Methods
We extended an existing ...clinical phenotyping tool and applied a 4-step framework for our retrospective cohort study. The study was based on data collected in the Genomic and Proteomic Network for Preterm Birth Research Longitudinal Cohort Study (GPN-PBR LS). A total of 52 sociodemographic, clinical and obstetric history-related risk factors were selected for the analysis. Spontaneous and indicated delivery subtypes were analyzed both individually and in combination. Chi-square analysis and Kaplan-Meier estimate were used for univariate analysis. A Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariable analysis.
Results
: A total of 428 women with a history of spontaneous preterm birth qualified for our analysis. The predictors of preterm delivery used in multivariable model were maternal age, maternal race, household income, marital status, previous caesarean section, number of previous deliveries, number of previous abortions, previous birth weight, cervical insufficiency, decidual hemorrhage, and placental dysfunction. The models stratified by delivery subtype performed better than the naïve model (concordance 0.76 for the spontaneous model, 0.87 for the indicated model, and 0.72 for the naïve model).
Discussion
The proposed 4-step framework is effective to analyze risk factors for recurrent preterm birth in a retrospective cohort and possesses practical features for future analyses with other data sources (eg, electronic health record data).
Conclusions
We developed an analytical framework that utilizes a clinical phenotyping tool and performed a survival analysis to analyze risk for recurrent preterm birth.
Abstract
Objective: Although delayed umbilical cord clamping has been demonstrated to reduce the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage and neonatal sepsis, and decrease the need for neonatal ...transfusions (without affecting cord pH, Apgar scores or the need for phototherapy), the extent to which this practice is being employed is unknown. We conducted a survey of US obstetricians to assess their attitudes and beliefs about cord clamping.
Study design: Questionnaires were randomly mailed to members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Collaborative Ambulatory Research Network (CARN). The data were analyzed using Chi-square and Student t tests.
Results: The response rates for the CARN and other ACOG members were 47% and 21%, respectively. Most (88%) responders reported their hospital had no umbilical cord clamping policy. The most frequent response for optimal timing of umbilical cord clamping, regardless of gestational age, was "don't know". Potential for neonatal red blood cell transfusion was the only concern cited as a reason for being somewhat or very inclined to delay umbilical cord clamping (51%). Delayed neonatal resuscitation (76%) was listed as a reason to clamp the cord immediately, despite the paucity of literature to support immediate cord clamping in this cohort.
Conclusion: Despite substantial evidence supporting the practice of delayed cord clamping, few institutions have policies regarding this practice. Moreover, obstetricians' beliefs about the appropriate timing for umbilical cord clamping are not consistent with the evidence that demonstrates its beneficial impact on neonatal outcomes.
Early pregnancy renal anhydramios (EPRA) comprises congenital renal disease that results in fetal anhydramnios by 22 weeks of gestation. It occurs in over 1 in 2000 pregnancies and affects 1500 ...families in the US annually. EPRA was historically considered universally fatal due to associated pulmonary hypoplasia and neonatal respiratory failure. There are several etiologies of fetal renal failure that result in EPRA including bilateral renal agenesis, cystic kidney disease, and lower urinary tract obstruction. Appropriate sonographic evaluation is required to arrive at the appropriate urogenital diagnosis and to identify additional anomalies that allude to a specific genetic diagnosis. Genetic evaluation variably includes karyotype, microarray, targeted gene testing, panels, or whole exome sequencing depending on presentation. Patients receiving a fetal diagnosis of EPRA should be offered management options of pregnancy termination or perinatal palliative care, with the option of serial amnioinfusion therapy offered on a research basis. Preliminary data from case reports demonstrate an association between serial amnioinfusion therapy and short‐term postnatal survival of EPRA, with excellent respiratory function in the neonatal period. A multicenter trial, the renal anhydramnios fetal therapy (RAFT) trial, is underway. We sought to review the initial diagnosis ultrasound findings, genetic etiologies, and current management options for EPRA.
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