产前超声检查的医学伦理学思考

产前超声检查是指在妊娠期间应用超声检查技术检测母体内胎儿是否存在先天性缺陷和遗传性疾病,随着超声技术的迅速普及和发展,产前超声检查已成为产前诊断的不可缺少的有效手段之一.本文从医学与哲学的角度对产前超声检查的必要性、安全性、局限性以及相关医学伦理问题,如知情同意权、隐私权及人工流产等进行综合分析.     

产前超声检查先天畸形的几点哲学思考

产前超声检查先天畸形是指在妊娠期应用超声检查技术检测母体内胎儿是否存在先天畸形,是产前诊断先天畸形的有效手段之一。本文从医学和哲学的角度对产前超声检查先天畸形的时间观、动态观、整体观以及超声检查先天畸形的相关伦理问题、规范性和局限性进行综合分析。     

胎儿产前超声诊断中的人文关怀

随着医学的进步,医学模式的转变,越来越提倡医学对人们心理和社会因素的关怀。同时随着产前诊断技术和超声诊断技术的迅速发展和日臻完善,以及社会、经济的发展和变革,也越来越重视对孕妇及家属的人文关怀。胎儿产前超声诊断中的人文关怀不仅是对人的关怀,也是对技术、对心理健康、对生命的关怀。     

胎儿产前超声诊断中的人文关怀

随着医学的进步,医学模式的转变,越来越提倡医学对人们心理和社会因素的关怀.同时随着产前诊断技术和超声诊断技术的迅速发展和日臻完善,以及社会、经济的发展和变革,也越来越重视对孕妇及家属的人文关怀.胎儿产前超声诊断中的人文关怀不仅是对人的关怀,也是对技术、对心理健康、对生命的关怀.     

产前超声检查的相关伦理学思考

超声检查是产前诊断的一项主要检查技术,应坚持将患者的利益放在首位的原则,并且在检查前充分告知孕妇超声检查的安全性及局限性。对知情同意、人工流产及性别鉴定等伦理问题进行了分析。医生应告知孕妇胎儿的异常情况。以便其做出决定。     

加强超声诊断报告书写规范化

超声医学作为医学的一个分支,在临床诊断和治疗中发挥着重要的作用,准确规范的超声诊断报告对指导临床医生做出正确诊断及采取有效的治疗方法至关重要。超声医生应不断提高科学素养,努力掌握专业知识和技能,规范超声诊断报告的书写,使超声成为高标准的、规范化的、可信赖的临床检查技术之一。     

微创医学中的介入性超声

超声检查具有实时、动态、灵活、方便等优点,在临床上有重要作用。介入性超声是在超声显像的基础上,为进一步满足临床诊断和治疗的需要而发展起来的一门新技术,在微创医学体系中占有非常重要的地位,但只有与其它微创技术联合应用才更有活力和生机。     

试论临床超声检查中的漏诊误诊

现代临床医学诊断中,超声影像检查因其对软组织分辨力高并且无损、实用、价廉,已成为影像检查中首选的最常用的方法之一。与其它影像学检查相比,超声影像检查具有实时、动态、多方位多角度观察病变的特点。近年来彩色多普勒超声技术的应用使超声检查不仅能观察形态学改变,同时可以观察部分脏器的血流以判断其功能状态。而介入性超声的发展又将超声诊断推进到了病理组织学的高度。因此,超声医学已成为医学影像中发展迅速的学科之一,也是医学影像的新热点［１］。超声诊断水平,无疑对临床实践产生重要影响。然而普遍认为［２,３］超声…     

微创医学中的介入性超声

超声检查具有实时、动态、灵活、方便等优点,在临床上有重要作用.介入性超声是在超声显像的基础上,为进一步满足临床诊断和治疗的需要而发展起来的一门新技术,在微创医学体系中占有非常重要的地位,但只有与其它微创技术联合应用才更有活力和生机.     

超声影像诊断中科学思维方式的训练

近年来 ,超声技术飞速发展 ,彩色多普勒、能量图、二次谐波等技术的应用 ,使超声不仅能观察形态学改变 ,同时还可以观察部分脏器的血流状态以判断其功能状况 ;而介入超声的发展又将超声诊断推进到了病理组织学的高度 ,超声医学已成为医学影像中的新热点。超声影像诊断也因其对软组织分辨率高 ,并且无创、价廉、实用 ,已成为现代临床医学诊断中首选的检查方法之一[1] 。因此 ,怎样有效地提高超声诊断水平 ,使其更好地服务于患者 ,也成为我们超声医师需要思考的首要问题。1　目前超声影像诊断工作中的现状超声诊断属于影像学范围 ,是根据超声…     

Associations between prenatal substance exposure,prenatal violence victimization,unintended pregnancy,and trauma exposure in childhood in a clinical setting

Given the importance of early prevention and intervention strategies for children exposed to trauma, detection of early risk factors for exposure to traumatic events in childhood is critical. The present study examined associations between three known prenatal risk factors that characterize environmental instability in utero—prenatal substance exposure, prenatal violence victimization, and unintended pregnancy—and child exposure to interparental violence and other adverse experiences in a sample of 198 mother–child dyads (M child age = 44.48 months) referred to a hospital clinic for treatment following exposure to trauma. Prenatal substance and violence exposure were associated with child trauma exposure, and prenatal violence victimization was also associated with maternal severity ratings of traumatic exposures. Unintended pregnancy was not associated with child trauma exposure or severity. These findings expand our understanding of prenatal risk factors for trauma exposure in childhood and, specifically, highlight prenatal substance exposure and violence victimization as risk factors for subsequent exposure to trauma in early childhood. Results suggest that prenatal prevention and intervention programs should target reducing maternal substance use and in-utero exposure to violence.     

Prescient human fetuses thrive

Fetal detection of adversity is a conserved trait that allows many species to adapt their early developmental trajectories to ensure survival. According to the fetal-programming model, exposure to stressful or hostile conditions in utero is associated with compromised development and a lifelong risk of adverse health outcomes. In a longitudinal study, we examined the consequences of prenatal and postnatal exposure to adversity for infant development. We found increased motor and mental development during the 1st year of life among infants whose mothers experienced congruent levels of depressive symptoms during and after pregnancy, even when the levels of symptoms were relatively high and the prenatal and postnatal environments were unfavorable. Congruence between prenatal and postnatal environments prepares the fetus for postnatal life and confers an adaptive advantage for critical survival functions during early development.     

Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) and Preferences for Risk Information among High School Students in Sweden

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) was recently introduced for prenatal testing of genetic disorders. Cell-free fetal DNA is present in maternal blood during pregnancy and enables detection of fetal chromosome aberrations in a maternal blood sample. The public perspective to this new, simple method has not been illuminated. The views of young people (i.e. future parents) are important to develop suitable counseling strategies regarding prenatal testing. The aim was to explore Swedish high school students’ attitudes, knowledge and preferences regarding NIPT. A questionnaire was completed by 305 students recruited from one high school in Stockholm, November and December 2014. Most students (80 %) considered prenatal testing as good. The majority (65 %) was positive or very positive towards NIPT and 62 % stated that they potentially would like to undergo the test if they or their partner was pregnant. The vast majority (94 %) requested further information about NIPT. Most students (61 %) preferred verbal information, whereas 20 % preferred information via the Internet. The majority of the high school students was positive towards prenatal testing and most was positive towards NIPT. Further, information was requested by the vast majority before making a decision about NIPT. Most of the students preferred verbal information and to a lesser extent information via the Internet. The attitudes, knowledge and preferences for risk information concerning NIPT in young adults are important, in order to increase knowledge on how to educate and inform future parents.     

The Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Behavior: Rodent and Primate Studies

The use of alcohol by women during pregnancy is a continuing problem. In this review the behavioral effects of prenatal alcohol from animal models are described and related to studies of children and adults with FASD. Studies with monkeys and rodents show that prenatal alcohol exposure adversely affects neonatal orienting, attention and motor maturity, as well as activity level, executive function, response inhibition, and sensory processing later in life. The primate moderate dose behavioral findings fill an important gap between human correlational data and rodent mechanistic research. These animal findings are directly translatable to human findings. Moreover, primate studies that manipulated prenatal alcohol exposure and prenatal stress independently show that prenatal stress exacerbates prenatal alcohol-induced behavioral impairments, underscoring the need to consider stress-induced effects in fetal alcohol research. Studies in rodents and primates show long-term effects of prenatal and developmental alcohol exposure on dopamine system functioning, which could underpin the behavioral effects.     

Implementing Group Prenatal Counseling for Expanded Noninvasive Screening Options

Recently, practices have begun integrating cell-free DNA-based noninvasive prenatal screening as a screening option for a variety of genetic conditions. According to the National Society of Genetic Counselors, the integration of cfDNA screening into clinical prenatal practice may "significantly shift the paradigm of prenatal testing and screening for all women." The purpose of this study was to determine whether group information sessions can feasibly serve as an alternative to extended one-on-one genetic counseling for the increasing number of women making decisions about prenatal testing and screening. This study assessed the effect of group genetic information sessions coupled with abbreviated counseling on pregnant women’s knowledge about and attitudes toward prenatal testing and screening.     

The effect of prenatal adversity on externalizing behaviors at 24 months of age in a high-risk sample: Maternal sensitivity as a moderator

The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of maternal sensitivity on the association between prenatal adversity and externalizing behaviors at 24 months of age in a diverse, high-risk sample. We hypothesized that among children with higher prenatal adversity, high maternal sensitivity would serve as a protective factor. Participants were 247 primarily low-income, diverse dyads. Results indicated a significant interaction effect of maternal sensitivity and prenatal adversity on externalizing problems. The association between prenatal adversity and externalizing behaviors was significant only among children who experienced low prenatal adversity, with higher maternal sensitivity associated with lower externalizing behaviors. These findings indicate that, in the absence of high prenatal risk, responsive and sensitive parenting can buffer children in an otherwise high-risk sample from the development of externalizing behaviors.     

IMPACT OF MATERNAL DEPRESSION ON PREGNANCIES AND ON EARLY ATTACHMENT

The relatively high prevalence and duration of depression in the prenatal and postpartum periods reinforce the need for better understanding of maternal depression. The purpose of this article is to explore the main effects of depression to pregnancies’ outcome and to early attachment reviewing research from the last decade and to find the best way to prevent the negative effects of maternal depression to infants. Recent studies have reported significant associations between maternal depression and several adverse obstetric, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. Antenatal depression has been associated with shorter gestation and lower birth weight, with consequences for infant development. A number of studies have demonstrated an association between prenatal depression and attachment difficulties, which seems to play an important mediating role in the development of further adverse outcomes for children. This review reveals some potential risks of untreated depression during the antenatal and postnatal periods, with possibly significant implications for practice and further research. Considering the high prevalence of depression, antenatal detection of depressive symptoms and intervention before childbirth has huge importance in prevention. Early interventions also may need to focus on mother–infant interactions as a key factor of later child development.     

An Exploration of Genetic Counselors’ Needs and Experiences with Prenatal Chromosomal Microarray Testing

Because of the higher yield over traditional chromosomal analysis, chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) is being used increasingly in prenatal diagnosis. Unfortunately, the clinical implication of many copy number variants found on prenatal CMA is uncertain, complicating genetic counseling. Recognizing that uncertain results will be encountered frequently as more of the genome is assayed prenatally, we set out to understand the experiences and needs of genetic counselors when counseling patients about uncertain prenatal microarray results, their comfort with various aspects of prenatal genetic counseling, and their interest in additional education and training about prenatal microarray testing. We first interviewed 10 genetic counselors about their experiences of providing pre- and post-test genetic counseling about prenatal CMA. Based on the findings from the counselor interviews, we developed items for a survey to assess the prevalence of genetic counselors’ attitudes towards, experience and comfort with, and educational needs regarding prenatal CMA. Based on surveys completed by 193 prenatal genetic counselors, we found that when there is an uncertain CMA result, only 59 % would be comfortable providing genetic counseling and only 43 % would be comfortable helping a patient make a decision about pregnancy termination. Being less comfortable was associated with seeing fewer patients having prenatal CMA testing. Respondents expressed a high degree of interest in additional education about prenatal CMA and counseling about uncertain results. Further genetic counselor education and training aimed at improving counselors’ personal comfort with uncertain results and communicating about them with patients is needed.     

The Prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play: A New Observational Assessment Tool of the Prenatal Co‐Parenting Alliance

The goal of this study is to present a new observational assessment tool, the prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play situation (LTP). Expectant parents were asked to role play their first meeting with their baby using a doll, and the videotaped interaction was subsequently coded. Scores were correlated with measures of the couples' marital satisfaction as well as the postnatal family alliance 3 months after the baby's birth. Results showed that the prenatal co‐parenting alliance was positively linked to both fathers' marital satisfaction as well as to the postnatal family alliance at 3 months. Thus, the prenatal LTP allows for assessment of the prenatal co‐parenting alliance at the interactional level. It predicts the place the parents will afford their baby after birth and can contribute to methods of clinical assessment and prevention.     

Informed Decision-Making in the Context of Prenatal Chromosomal Microarray

The introduction of chromosomal microarray (CMA) into the prenatal setting has involved considerable deliberation due to the wide range of possible outcomes (e.g., copy number variants of uncertain clinical significance). Such issues are typically discussed in pre-test counseling for pregnant women to support informed decision-making regarding prenatal testing options. This research study aimed to assess the level of informed decision-making with respect to prenatal CMA and the factor(s) influencing decision-making to accept CMA for the selected prenatal testing procedure (i.e., chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis). We employed a questionnaire that was adapted from a three-dimensional measure previously used to assess informed decision-making with respect to prenatal screening for Down syndrome and neural tube defects. This measure classifies an informed decision as one that is knowledgeable, value-consistent, and deliberated. Our questionnaire also included an optional open-ended question, soliciting factors that may have influenced the participants’ decision to accept prenatal CMA; these responses were analyzed qualitatively. Data analysis on 106 participants indicated that 49% made an informed decision (i.e., meeting all three criteria of knowledgeable, deliberated, and value-consistent). Analysis of 59 responses to the open-ended question showed that “the more information the better” emerged as the dominant factor influencing both informed and uninformed participants’ decisions to accept prenatal CMA. Despite learning about the key issues in pre-test genetic counseling, our study classified a significant portion of women as making uninformed decisions due to insufficient knowledge, lack of deliberation, value-inconsistency, or a combination of these three measures. Future efforts should focus on developing educational approaches and counseling strategies to effectively increase the rate of informed decision-making among women offered prenatal CMA.