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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffCordocentesis can provide important information about a baby's health. Cordocentesis isn't used often, however. It's typically offered only when the information can't be obtained any other way and the test results may have a significant impact on the management of the pregnancy.
Specifically, cordocentesis can be used to identify:
- Chromosomal conditions. Cordocentesis can be used to diagnose chromosomal conditions, such as Down syndrome.
- Blood disorders. Cordocentesis can be used to detect various blood disorders, including anemia, sickle cell disease and thalassemia. The test can also determine whether the baby has Rh positive or Rh negative blood. If your blood is Rh negative and your baby's blood is Rh positive, under certain circumstances your body may make antibodies that attack the baby's red blood cells.
- Infections. If you have an infection, such as toxoplasmosis or rubella, cordocentesis may be used to determine whether the baby has the infection, too.
- Restricted growth. Sometimes cordocentesis is used to determine why a baby isn't growing as expected.
Cordocentesis can't be used to test for neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.
Sometimes cordocentesis is used to supplement the results from other diagnostic screenings and tests, such as ultrasound. This procedure can also be used to deliver blood transfusions and medication to the baby through the umbilical cord. Use of cordocentesis is decreasing, however. Newer forms of technology can sometimes provide the same information from tests that pose a smaller risk of miscarriage, such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling.
- Ghidini A. Fetal blood sampling: Indications and invasive fetal therapy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 9, 2010.
- Ghidini A. Fetal blood sampling: Technique and complications. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 9, 2010.
- Grace D, et al. Training for percutaneous umbilical blood sampling during Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship in the United States. Prenatal Diagnosis. 2009;29:790.
- Diagnosing birth defects. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp164.cfm. Accessed March 9, 2010.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 30, 2010.
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