Comprehensive Evaluation, Definitive Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

A high-risk pregnancy is a difficult and emotional situation. To help make your treatment as smooth as possible, our collaborative team offers the resources to conduct all the necessary initial testing and provides a definitive diagnosis and counseling plan during one visit to the Cincinnati Children's Fetal Care Center.

Before you arrive, we evaluate what specialties need to be involved in your care and ensure that the appropriate staff is prepared when you arrive. Experts from many disciplines work together to provide you with a comprehensive evaluation that goes beyond medical tests to include:

  • Prenatal counseling
  • Meetings with counselors in genetics, social services, family support, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology and pediatric surgery
  • Diagnosis-specific subspecialty consultations

At the end of the day, our team collectively determines your diagnosis and formulates a comprehensive treatment plan. You will participate in this evaluation meeting, receiving a thorough understanding of your and your baby’s condition before we discuss treatment options. The team’s nondirectional counseling ensures that you will have the knowledge to make a confident, well-informed decision about your treatment plan.

Prenatal Diagnostic Tools

High-risk pregnancies involve rare medical conditions not seen in a routine pregnancy. Detection of these conditions typically requires special knowledge, expertise, testing methods and equipment. An early and accurate diagnosis is vital to clarifying the plan of treatment for high-risk pregnancies and improving the outcome.

Specialists at the Fetal Care Center use a variety of high-tech tools to assess and diagnose fetal conditions. Some of the commonly used diagnostic tools include:

  • Targeted fetal ultrasound: This tool gives doctors detailed images of your baby without the need for invasive procedures.
  • Fetal echocardiogram: This high-resolution 3D and 4D ultrasound test can diagnose complex heart abnormalities.
  • Ultrafast fetal MRI: This sophisticated tool can help doctors identify structural abnormalities that older tests would miss.
A procedure in which a physician draws a sample of amniotic fluid, which surrounds your baby in the womb. We analyze the sample to look for chromosome abnormalities, structural defects and indications of metabolic disorders.
An alternative to amniocentesis, CVS is a procedure that can be performed earlier in your pregnancy, allowing more time for physicians and parents to plan for treatment.
Also known as percutaneous blood sampling, this procedure draws a sample of blood from the baby’s umbilical cord. We use the sample to conduct genetic karyotype analysis, which can give us a clearer picture of your baby’s condition.
This minimally invasive procedure takes a biopsy of skin or muscle from your baby in the womb to test for certain skin and muscle diseases.
In this minimally invasive procedure, a physician inserts a small imaging device called a fetoscope into the uterus and examines your baby for signs of abnormalities or disease.

For More Information

For more information or to request an appointment, contact the Cincinnati Children's Fetal Care Center at 1-888-338-2559 or use our online form.

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