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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Cordocentesis is a highly specialized prenatal test in which a fetal blood sample is removed from the umbilical cord and tested for genetic problems or infections. Cordocentesis can be done at 18 weeks of pregnancy or later.
Cordocentesis carries a risk of miscarriage and isn't generally used unless the results are a matter of life and death or permanent disability. Still, the test occasionally plays an important role in prenatal care. A key benefit is speed. Results are usually available within 72 hours — in some cases, in as little as two hours. Also, cordocentesis can be used to deliver blood transfusions and medication to the baby through the umbilical cord.
Cordocentesis is also known as percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS), umbilical vein sampling and fetal blood 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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