FETAL MEDICINE SCREENING

Screening in Fetal Medicine

Screening in Fetal Medicine

Introduction

Currently the management of pregnancy is based on identifying risk factors that contribute to develop a problem during pregnancy. The most common problems in pregnancy are preterm labour, preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension), fetal growth problems, fetal hypoxia (lack of oxygen), and fetal birth defects. Fetal medicine is highly specialized area of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, which values the human being in its infancy as a patient, i.e., the fetus. Early care to more vulnerable patients: the developing baby (Garjian, 2000, 717). This is the aim of fetal medicine, a branch of obstetrics devoted to the detection and management of diseases affecting the fetus from conception to birth. There are many problems can be detected increasingly earlier during pregnancy. Some of them are malformations that may or may not treatment (Flake, 2000, 1059).

Fetal medicine includes activities like diagnosis of fetal Abnormalities and illness, Assessment of Fetal growth and well being, and maintenance of fetal health, Fetal medicine which is one of the branch of Medicine and it is new speciality which require input from various experts and specialists followed by special expertise, including paediatric surgical specialists, geneticists, neonatologists, primatologists (also called maternal-fetal medicine specialists), obstetricians, pediatric cardiologists, and others (Doray, 2000, 163). Fetal medicine includes all exploration and clinical techniques for detecting a defect or genetic disease which could be achieved unborn child, to establish a fetal prognosis and treatment and specialized care. The main indications are (Dhamcharee, 2009, 186):

determination of fetal karyotype,

prenatal diagnosis of fetal infection during pregnancy,

Prenatal diagnosis of genetic diseases of the fetus.

These exams can reassure parents about the health of their unborn child and prevent major handicaps of congenital origin. Fetal medicine, by ultrasound is examination, to identify 80 to 90% of cases with increased chance of developing a problem, to avoid the complications of the disease and avoid the consequences for the mother and her child (Dayal, 2009, 1231). There are circumstances that can not change in the fetus, some could be improved (fetal interventions), and others provide adequate support to prevent or decrease birth complications. Ultrasounds are performed in specific periods of the week 11 to 13 and 18 to 23, to identify risk cases.

Pregnancy is a time of great anxiety and anticipation. People often wonder if they will experience difficulties or if their baby will have health issues. On the whole babies are born healthy. Still, people want details about their baby's health beyond what your health care provider monitor they enter into prenatal testing (Chen, 2001, 89).

Prenatal diagnosis

The advent of prenatal diagnosis has radically altered the management of pregnancy and prenatal outcomes. Many of the conditions and disorders molecular, genetic, functional and structural affecting the offspring can now are detected in utero, and sometimes treated before birth. This possibility gives it to prenatal diagnosis and fetal medicine unique characteristics, with particular ethical dilemmas that have appeared simultaneously with the development of these branches (Bekker, 2001, 173). Prenatal diagnosis is performed by certain tests that allow us ...