Chorionic Villus Sampling

Sooo, I’m (probably) having a CVS procedure done on Friday.  Kinda feels like I should get a little more information about it….

This is a great “all you ever wanted to know about CVS but were afraid to ask” article:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/gt8amniocentesis0111.pdf

Summary: 

·       CVS is carried out via a needle that takes a sample of the placental villi.

·       Can be done vaginally or abdominally, depending on location of baby.

·       If done abdominally, local anesthetic should be used.

·       The procedure should be done with simultaneous ultrasound.

·       CVS is usually performed between 11w0d and 13w6d.  Can be performed earlier (starting at 10w0d), but there’s a greater risk of complications / limb deformities. 

·       To be competent, a doctor should do 30 procedures/yr. 

·       Miscarriage rate is 0.5-1%.  More experienced docs tend to have lower complication rates.

The doctor doing our CVS procedure is (allegedly) the most experienced doctor in our high-risk OB’s office.  She does 25-30 procedures per year.  I decided to call around and see if any other doctors have more experience.  It turns out that high-risk OBs tend to have just 1-2 people in their office that even do the procedures.  Here’s what I found out about practitioners in Minnesota who do CVS procedures:

 

·       http://wellness.allinahealth.org/providers/3923 (25-30 procedures per year; no known complications)

·       http://www.mayoclinic.org/biographies/davies-norman-p-m-b-b-s-m-d/bio-20054685 (10-15 procedures in the first 4 months of the year; 100s over the past 7-8 years; complication rate of less than 0.5%)

·       https://www.mhealth.org/providers/prosentracy-1354467830 (still waiting on specific data; allegedly she has done “a lot”)

One comment—the customer service at Mayo was AMAZING.  The have it dialed in!

If you must have the most experienced practitioner in the country, consider going to Cedars-Sinai. They do approximately 2,000 procedures a year:

http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Programs-and-Services/Prenatal-Diagnosis/Chrorionic-Villus-Sampling-CVS.aspx

Also, this article suggests that heavier women experience more pain from a CVS procedure:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19683693