Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Fetal abnormalities cause 20% of perinatal deaths. Advances in prenatal genetic and other types of screening offer great opportunities for identifying high risk pregnancies. METHODS: Through a literature search, here we summarise what are the prenatal diagnostic technique that are being used and how those techniques may allow for prenatal interventions. RESULTS: Next generation sequencing and non-invasive prenatal testing are fundamental for clinical diagnostics because of their sensitivity and accuracy in identifying point mutations, aneuploidies, and microdeletions, respectively. Timely identification of genetic disorders and other fetal abnormalities enables early intervention, such as in-utero gene therapy, fetal drug therapy and prenatal surgery. CONCLUSION: Prenatal intervention is mainly focused on conditions that may cause death or lifelong disabilities, like spina bifida, congenital diaphragm hernia and sacrococcygeal teratoma; and may be an alternative therapeutic option to termination of pregnancy. However, it is not yet widely available, due to lack of specialized centers.
Authors: Aysha Karim Kiani, Stefano Paolacci, Pietro Scanzano, Sandro Michelini, Natale Capodicasa, Leonardo D'Agruma, Angelantonio Notarangelo, Gerolamo Tonini, Daniela Piccinelli, Kalantary Rad Farshid, Paolo Petralia, Ezio Fulcheri, Francesca Buffelli, Pietro Chiurazzi, Corrado Terranova, Francesco Plotti, Roberto Angioli, Marco Castori, Ondrej Pös, Tomas Szemes, Matteo Bertelli
Institutions: Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic, Università Campus Bio-Medico, Campus Bio Medico University Hospital, Geneton (Slovakia), Comenius University Bratislava
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3102071924