fetoscopy
Quick Summary
Fetoscopy is a medical procedure used in fetology, a branch of medicine focused on the study and treatment of the fetus. It involves using an endoscope, called a fetoscope, for visual examination of the pregnant uterus or to listen to the fetal heartbeat.1
Fetoscopy can be part of prenatal testing, which aims to assess the health of a developing fetus. While screening tests assess the likelihood of certain conditions, diagnostic tests, which can be invasive, confirm disorders. Fetoscopy allows direct access to the umbilical cord, amniotic cavity, and fetus, and is used alongside other diagnostic methods like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. These procedures carry a risk of miscarriage.2
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