| Abstract: | Objective: To evaluate pregnancy outcome following late amniocentesis (>24 weeks of gestation). Study design: A retrospective cohort of all women with singleton pregnancy that underwent late amniocentesis in one tertiary center. Results: Pregnancy outcome was validated in 168 women who underwent late amniocentesis. Overall, for the all study group the mean gestational age for amniocentesis was 31.6?±?2.3 weeks and the mean gestational age at delivery was 38.1?±?2. Indications for late amniocentesis included abnormal ultrasonographic findings (n?=?120), suspected intrauterine infection (n?=?23), advanced maternal age (n?=?13), abnormal first or second trimester biochemical markers (n?=?8) and others. The overall rate of spontaneous preterm delivery (<37 weeks) was 8% (13/168) with mean gestational age at delivery of 34.7?±?1.3. In only five cases (3%), delivery occurred ≤ 34 weeks of gestation. In one case (0.60%) of amniocentesis performed at 32 weeks of gestation, delivery occurred within 48 hours and in other four cases (2.40%) delivery occurred within 10 days. When amniocentesis was performed due to ultrasonographic findings to rule out chromosomal abnormalities (n?=?117/182), abnormal karyotype was found only in three cases. Conclusions: The risk of significant prematurity following late amniocentesis is low. This information is important when counseling patients considering performing one. |
