Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling. A new technique for prenatal diagnosis.

Direct access to fetal blood during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy opens new fields of prenatal diagnosis and in utero fetal treatment. Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling, a method that involves ultrasonographically guided needle insertion into the umbilical vein, appears to have an acceptable complication rate. This technique has tremendous potential for use in evaluating fetal status.