CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling) & Amniocentesis

CVS & Amniocentesis

Mr Anoop Rehal, Consultant in Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust – performs CVS and Amniocentesis at MUMS Solihull to diagnose fetal abnormalities.

The choice to have the test is entirely the decision of the patient following thorough counselling with Mr Rehal

A CVS can be performed from 10 to 14+1 weeks. An Amniocentesis can be performed from 15 weeks onwards.

CVS ( Chorionic villus sampling )

The test can be done earlier than an amniocentesis at 11-14 weeks of pregnancy and involves passing a thin needle into the placenta through the uterus under ultrasound guidance and into the placenta to remove a small volume of cells.

Patients who qualify to have CVS at MUMS:

• Will have been offered CVS if they have a higher than average chance of giving birth to a child with a genetic abnormality
• The Nuchal Screening result is high risk and invasive testing such as Amnio or CVS is recommended
• NIPT testing has indicated there is a chance of Down’s syndrome, Edwards syndrome or Patau’s syndrome or other chromosome abnormality
• An abnormality has been detected in your baby during Ultrasound Scan

The risk of miscarriage due to CVS is about 0.5% (1:200) the same for an amniocentesis. If you were to miscarry due to the test, this would happen within the first 2 weeks of the procedure. In approximately 1% of cases the CVS test will need to be repeated because the results are inconclusive.

AMNIOCENTESIS

Amniocentesis is a medical procedure that can be performed from 15 weeks or pregnancy. Amniocentesis is used primarily in prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities and fetal infection. In this procedure, a small amount of amniotic fluid, which contains fetal tissues, is sampled from the amniotic sac surrounding a developing fetus.

Patients who qualify to have Amniocentesis at MUMS:

• Will have been offered amniocentesis if they have a higher than average chance of giving birth to a child with a genetic abnormality
• The Nuchal Screening result is high risk and recommended invasive testing such as Amnio or CVS is recommended
• Where NIPT has indicated there is a chance of Down’s syndrome, Edwards syndrome, Patau’s syndrome or other chromosome abnormalities
• An abnormality is detected in your baby during Ultrasound Scan

The risk of miscarriage due to amniocentesis is about 0.5% (1:200) If you were to miscarry due to the test, this would happen within the first 2 weeks of the procedure.

Costs

MUMS CVS and Amniocentesis Patient Information Leaflet provides much more detail about the test and the results.

The Cost of CVS or Amniocentesis is £695.00

Additional costs will apply where there is additional chromosome abnormality laboratory analysis – dependent upon individual cases and the suspected abnormality.

If you have had Nuchal Screening/NIPT or an Ultrasound at MUMS which shows you may require invasive testing such as Amnio or CVS then this will be offered to you.

To organise your CVS or Amniocentesis at MUMS call 0121 704 2669 or complete an online enquiry. We will organise for you to see Mr Anoop Rehal – Consultant in Fetal Medicine.