Fetoscopy: A New Technique for Prenatal Detection of Genetic Diseases

Around 2,300 genetic diseases are known to affect human beings, and of these 70 can be diagnosed prenatally with amniocentesis in most of the important hospitals throughout the world. However, amniocentesis is currently of little use for the early detection of genetic defects or blood diseases, for in those cases it is necessary to see the fetus or have a sample of its blood. Recognizing the potential for a technique that would allow one to see the fetus and have a sample of its blood or skin, a McGill team of scientists has spent the last seven years miniaturizing instrumentation and perfecting a technique that was first developed by Swedish and British physicians in the late 1950s and 1960s: fetoscopy.