Rapid determination of polyploidy in human chorionic tissue sections.

Chromosomal analysis from aborted tissue has become an important diagnostic aid. However, the necessary cultures are frequently unsuccessful due to the condition of the aborted tissue. Polyploidy, in particular triploidy, in the conceptus is a common cause of early pregnancy loss and unlike aneuploidy does not appear to be associated with an increased recurrence risk. The necessity to monitor a subsequent pregnancy with amniocentesis is therefore eliminated. Therefore, in cases where a chromosomal anomaly is probable, a fast simple method of identification of a polyploid karyotype would be valuable. In this presentation, we describe a method using a scanning light microscope and histologic tissue preparations. This method can accurately determine the ploidy of the aborted material in 5 days.