No abstract

We report our experience in a cytogenetic study of 93 spontaneous abortions. Specimens were obtained by transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (TACVS) in women requesting prenatal diagnosis by chorionic villus sampling (CVS) but in whom an arrested pregnancy had been diagnosed during the ultrasound examination. Our success rate, i.e. the percentage of cases where we obtained results, was 91. 4 per cent, and the rate of abnormalities-mostly aneuploidies and polyploidies-was 62.3 per cent. In normal cases, masculine:feminine ratio was 1:1. These results confirm those obtained by other groups earlier this decade and allow us to conclude that, for the cytogenetic study of spontaneous abortions, CVS is a better approach than the culture of the products of conception after evacuation, because the success rate is higher and because it provides certainty that the specimens obtained are of fetal origin.

We would like to comment on the paper titled "Malformations reported in chorionic villus sampling exposed children: a review and analytic synthesis of the literature," by Stoler et al.,' whose data differ from those of other authors. Considering that the statistical approach is excellent, we think that differences may be attributed to the following reasons: