Transabdominal and transcervical chorionic villus sampling models to teach maternal-fetal medicine fellows

• Published in: American journal of perinatology Vol. 29; no. 7; p. 497
• Main Authors: McWeeney, Dennis T, Schwendemann, Wade D, Nitsche, Joshua F, Rose, Carl H, Davies, Norman P, Watson, William J, Brost, Brian C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2012
• Subjects: Adult; Chorionic Villi Sampling - methods; Education, Medical - methods; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Models, Anatomic; Perinatology - education; Pregnancy
• ISSN: 1098-8785
• DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1310518

Many fellowship programs in maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) lack sufficient exposure and training in chorionic villus sampling (CVS). We describe a novel training model of transabdominal and transcervical CVS. A porcine heart simulated a 12-week human uterus with a cervical canal created at the apex of the heart. A piglet was placed within a water-filled condom, which was placed inside the "uterus." A second water-filled condom simulated a maternal bladder. Fresh human placenta was placed between the condom and uterine wall. A zipper-sealed freezer bag with ultrasonic gel simulated an abdominal wall. Transabdominal ultrasound was utilized with this model to perform CVS. The design involved four MFM specialists and three fellows. Twenty-three faculty MFM specialists and eight MFM fellows endorsed the fidelity of both models. One hundred percent of attendees of a procedural workshop agreed that these models could be used to teach proper technique to fellows and faculty. We report a novel training model for transabdominal and transcervical CVS to teach proper technique in a nonclinical setting.