Management of anti-Rhesus-D antibodies in pregnancy: a review from 1994 to 1998

Abstract

Objective: To review our management of anti-Rhesus-D antibodies in pregnancy over a 5-year period in order to assess possible changes in the management or prognosis which may have developed with time.

Method: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 31 pregnancies with maternal anti-D levels >4 IU/ml and in which the fetus was Rhesus positive.

Results: There were a total of 30 amniocenteses, 8 cordocenteses, and 54 fetal blood transfusions performed. When undertaken as the first procedure, the mean gestational age at amniocentesis was 30 weeks as compared with 25 weeks for fetal blood sampling/transfusion (p < 0.05). The median anti-D level at the first procedure was 24 IU/ml for amniocentesis and 64 IU/ml for fetal blood sampling. Of the 54 blood transfusions, 43 were intravascular, 4 were intraperitoneal, and 7 transfusions were both intravascular and intraperitoneal.

Conclusions: Intravascular as opposed to intraperitoneal transfusions were found to be the main method of transfusion in the later years in this study, a finding which was expected with improved sonographic equipment. Apart from this, management and prognosis of anti-D red cell isoimmunisation in pregnancy have remained relatively stable since the 1980s. Amniocentesis was useful in the management of such pregnancies, especially as an initial procedure in the cases with a lower initial anti-D level. In this series 90% of the fetuses requiring blood transfusion, but were without hydrops, survived, whereas this was about 70%, if they had become hydropic (this latter figure was reduced by 2 hydropic deaths before 20 weeks' gestation in the same very severely affected woman).