Construction of a family pedigree in genetic counseling before amniocentesis.
The construction of a family pedigree consumes an average of 15-20 minutes during a typical preamniocentesis counseling session. The records of 1,131 patients were reviewed to determine whether development of a pedigree before amniocentesis reveals conditions other than those for which the patient was referred often enough to justify the time spent in the process. The patients were referred for a variety of reasons, with increased maternal age the most common. A positive finding in the pedigree was any condition other than that for which the patient was referred and that required additional comments or testing. It was found that 72.15% of the pedigrees contained at least one other positive finding. Thus, construction of a pedigree before genetic amniocentesis is a valuable objective since it reveals, in the majority of cases, additional factors that may influence the current or future pregnancies or may provide information for other family members.
Langer
A
A
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aultman Hospital, Canton, OH 44710.
Kudart
E
E
D000649:Amniocentesis; D005260:Female; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking; D010375:Pedigree; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*