This book is a guide to foetal medicine for practising obstetricians. Its key aim is to help improve prenatal and perinatal management of high risk pregnancies, with an emphasis on monitoring and diagnosis. Beginning with an overview of prenatal diagnosis, the following sections cover prenatal counselling, non-invasive prenatal screening, invasive diagnostic techniques, laboratory techniques, antenatal use of foetal therapy, prenatal operative scope, ethical and medicolegal aspects, and the future of prenatal diagnosis. The final section offers FIGO best practice guidelines. This comprehensive guide is highly illustrated with more than 350 clinical photographs, figures and tables. Key Points Practical guide to foetal medicine for practising obstetricians Key aim to help improve prenatal and perinatal management of high risk pregnancies Includes FIGO best practice guidelines Highly illustrated with more than 350 photographs, figures and tables

This book is a concise guide to ultrasound guided invasive prenatal diagnostic techniques for clinicians. Beginning with discussion on the evolution of prenatal diagnosis, the next chapters cover historical aspects of invasive prenatal diagnosis, patient counselling prior to invasive procedures, and ethical and legal issues. The following sections explain the principles of ultrasound guided invasive prenatal diagnosis, procedural prerequisites, and then details individual techniques to test for foetal abnormalities including amniocentesis (taking a sample of amniotic fluid), chorionic villous sampling (taking a sample of cells from the tissue of the placenta), cordocentesis (taking a sample of the umbilical cord), and embryoscopy (insertion of an embryoscope through the mother's abdominal wall and uterus for direct examination of an embryo). The book concludes with a final chapter on prenatal diagnosis techniques in multiple pregnancy, followed by suggestions for further reading. Key points Guide to ultrasound guided invasive prenatal diagnostic techniques Explains general aspects including pre-procedure patient counselling and ethical and legal issues Detailed discussion on different techniques to test for foetal abnormalities Text enhanced by more than 70 clinical photographs and diagrams