Fetoscopy is a rarely used invasive test in which a small camera is inserted into the uterus in order to directly view the fetus and placenta.
It is designed to detect fetal abnormalities and provide a clearer picture of the developing baby than is possible with ultrasound.
The mother's abdomen is cleaned and numbed with a local anestheticAn agent or process that removes the body's sensitivity to pain. Anesthetics are usually medically administered chemicals, although they include other forms such as hypnosis, or the body's own ability to cause numbness through shock.
Anesthetics can either be local, whereby only a portion of the body or an individual organ is desensitized or general, in which the entire body is desensitized, with the result the patient is often temporarily unconcious.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. A small incision is made in the abdomen and the fetoscope is inserted through the opening into the uterus. The device is similar to the tools used in laparoscopyA term used to describe the examination of the abdominal cavity through a small incision in the abdominal wall. A laparoscope is used to view the ovaries and fallopian tubes, and can also serve as a gynecologic sterilization technique for oviduct fertilization. It is also called an abdominoscopy.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. or arthroscopy. The procedure is similar to amniocentesis, but the fetoscope is larger than the needle used for that test.
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This is a test that is rarely performed, but can provide the doctor with a clear picture of the developing fetus and placentaThe placenta is a large disk shaped membrane responsible for providing nourishment to the fetus during pregnancy. It consists of three parts, the fetal part made up from the chorion membrane surrounding the fetus, the maternal part, formed from the decidua basalis layer of the uterine lining, and the intervillous space between the two plates. It is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord and consists of tissue from both the mother and the embryo.
Its function is complex. It has been described as a simple organ that combines the functions of a kidney-dialysis machine, heart and lung machine and intravenous drip. It consists of enormous numbers of blood vessel branches that permit the exchange of nutrition and oxygen, from the mother's bloodstream to the fetus and the removal of wastes to the mother to be excreted. The placenta's remarkable quality is that it does so without the blood of the mother mixing with that of the baby.
It also is responsible for the production of vital hormones including, estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin. After birth, the placenta is delivered, and is sometimes referred to as the afterbirth.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. It is designed to confirm suspected congenital abnormalitiesAny abnormality which is present at birth. Also called birth defects, they can arise from genetic inheritance or acquired during gestation through disease or drugs.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. that have been detected with ultrasound. It is being superceded by cordocentesis.
The risk of miscarriage with fetoscopy is one of the highest of all the invasive tests. Whe used in the late 1970s, the miscarriage rate as a result of the test was suspected to be between five and ten percent (1 - 2 in 20).
Today the risk of miscarriage is much lower, about three to four percent (3 - 4 in 100), but it is still much higher than that for amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling or cordocentesis. The test should only be performed by a very skilled and experienced operator and it is not available in all areas.
Fetoscopy is performed if ultrasound suggests that there is a risk of congenital abnormalitiesAny abnormality which is present at birth. Also called birth defects, they can arise from genetic inheritance or acquired during gestation through disease or drugs.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions., which need to be confirmed by your doctor.
Your doctor will examine the images produced by the fetoscope and advise you about the suspected abnormalities.
Fetoscopy is a visual test. Your doctor will advise you whether further analytical testing is required.
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