Cordocentesis for diagnostic indications: two years' experience.

Cordocentesis was performed 96 times over a two-year interval, for a variety of diagnostic indications, in 55 completed pregnancies of 16-40 weeks' duration. There were four unsuccessful procedures, two associated with severe hydramnios and posterior placentas in which the available needles were too short. Sixty-three percent of procedures were successful on the first try; 95% succeeded within three attempts. Sixty-four percent of the samples were obtained from the placental cord origin, 27% from a free-floating loop, and 9% from the fetal cord origin. There were no maternal or significant fetal complications, and bleeding from the puncture site was not a problem. The present series confirms previous reports suggesting that in the proper hands, cordocentesis for diagnosis is a safe, rapid, and efficient means of obtaining access to the fetal circulation.