Full text in pdf format
Meconium-like substance in midtrimester amniotic fluid: significance for the neuropsychomotor evolution of the infant
Carla Franchi-Pinto; Walter Pinto Jr.; Bernardo Beiguelman
Departamento de Genética Médica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, UNICAMP, Caixa Postal 6111, 13081-970 Campinas, SP, Brasil. Send correspondence to B.B.
ABSTRACT
The state at birth and during the neonatal period, as well as the neuropsychomotor evolution, of 56 children with a normal karyotype, whose midtrimester amniotic fluid had meconium-like substance but a normal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, were compared to those of two groups of infants with a normal karyotype and clear midtrimester amniotic fluid. One of these groups included 85 children born to mothers who had a history of uterine bleeding prior to amniocentesis, while the other was composed of 139 infants whose mothers had no history of bleeding. Among the mothers of the 56 children whose midtrimester amniotic fluid had meconium-like substance, 55% reported uterine bleeding prior to amniocentesis. Meconium-like substance in the midtrimester amniotic fluid has no prognostic value for abnormal neuropsychomotor evolution of the infant, provided that chromosomal aberrations are absent and the AFP level is normal.
Keywords: meconium-like; midtrimester amniotic fluid; neuropsychomotor; infant.
REFERENCES
Abramovich, D.R. and Gray, E.S. (1982). Physiologic fetal defecation in midpregnancy. Obstet. Gynecol. 60: 294-296.
Alger, L.S., Kisner, H.J. and Nagey, D.A. (1984). The presence of a meconium-like substance in second-trimester amniotic fluid. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 150: 380-385.
Allen, R. (1985). The significance of meconium in midtrimester genetic amniocentesis. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 152: 413-417.
Crandall, B.F., Howard, J., Lebherz, T.B., Rubinstein, L., Sample, W.F. and Sarti, D. (1980). Follow-up of 2000 second-trimester amniocentesis. Obstet. Gynecol. 56: 625-628.
Cruikshank, D.P., Varner, M.W., Cruikshank, J.E., Grant, S.S. and Donnelly, E. (1983). Midtrimester amniocentesis: An analysis of 923 cases with neonatal follow-up. Am. J. Obstet. GynecoL 146: 204-211.
Dacus, J.V., Wilroy, R.S., Summitt, R.L., Garbaciak, J.A., Abdella, T.N., Spinnato, J.A., Luthardt, J.A., Flinn, G.S. and Lewis, B.A. (1985). Genetic amniocentesis: a twelve years experience. Am. J. Med. Gen. 20: 443-452.
Franchi-Pinto, C. (1993). Significado do fluido amniótico meconial no segundo trimestre da gestação. Master's Thesis, UNICAMP, Campinas.
Golbus, M.S., Loughamn, W.D., Epstein, C.J., Halbasch, G., Stephens, J.D. and Hall, B.C. (1979). Prenatal genetic diagnosis in 3000 amniocentesis. N. Engl. J. Med. 300: 157-163.
Hankins, G.C.B., Rowe, J., Quirk Jr., J.G., Trubey, R. and Strickland, D.M. (1984). Significance of brown and/or green amniotic fluid at the time of second trimester genetic amniocentesis. Obstet. Gynecol. 64: 353-358.
Hess, L.W., Anderson, R.L. and Golbus, M.S. (1986). Significance of opaque discolored amniotic fluid at second trimester amniocentesis. Obstet. Gynecol. 67: 44-46.
Immken, L., Lee, M., Stewart, R. and Kabach, M.M. (1982). Significance of meconium stained fluid in midtrimester amniocentesis. Birth Defects: Original Article Series 18: 187-190.
Karp, L.E. and Schiller, H.S. (1977). Meconium staining of amniotic fluid at midtrimester amniocentesis. Obstet. Gynecol. 50 (Suppl.): 47-49.
King, C.R., Prescott, G. and Pernoll, M. (1978). Significance of meconium in midtrimester diagnostic amniocentesis. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 132: 667-669.
Legge, M. (1981). Dark brown amniotic fluid-identification of contributing pigments. Br. J. Obstet. Gynaecol. 88: 632-634.
Svigos, J.M., Stewart-Rattray, S.G. and Pridmore, B.R. (1981). Meconium-stained liquor at second-trimester amniocentesis - Is it significant? Aust. N.Z.J. Obstet. Gynaecol. 21: 5-6.
Zorn, E.M., Hanson, F.W., Greve, C., Phelps-Sandall, B. and Tennont, F.R. (1986). Analysis of the significance of discolored amniotic fluid detected at midtrimester amniocentesis. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 154: 1234-1240.