title: Pain associated with chorionic villus sampling: transabdominal vs transcervical approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare anticipated and perceived pain that is associated with transabdominal and transcervical chorionic villus sampling (CVS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Women with singleton pregnancies who were undergoing CVS completed a preprocedure 0-10 visual analog scale (VAS; 0 = no pain, 10 = excruciating pain) for anticipated transabdominal and transcervical CVS-related pain. After the procedure, patients completed a VAS for perceived pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred twenty-one women underwent transabdominal (n = 98) or transcervical (n = 23) CVS. Anticipated pain was 4.5 +/- 2.0, which was similar in patients who ultimately underwent transabdominal (score, 4.6 +/- 3.8) or transcervical (score, 4.1 +/- 2.2) CVS. Postprocedure perceived pain was similar for transabdominal CVS in women with an abdominal wall thickness of <4 cm (score, 2.3 +/- 0.8) and transcervical CVS (score, 2.6 +/- 2.2) but was significantly greater for transabdominal CVS among women with an abdominal wall thickness of > or =4 cm (score, 5.6 +/- 1.2; P < .0001) and nulliparous women who had transcervical CVS (score, 4.3 +/- 2.1; P = .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transabdominal CVS is more painful in heavier women, and transcervical CVS is more painful in nulliparous women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Wax
authors.forename: Norman P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Angelina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cartin
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Pinette
authors.forename: Renée
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chard
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carpenter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000649:Amniocentesis; D015193:Chorionic Villi Sampling / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy