[Intrauterine rhesus diagnosis].

Although current recommendations for administration of Rh immune globulin have been extended to a variety of reproductive events, residual Rh prophylaxis problems persist. Recent advances in treating Rh-immunized pregnancies include: 1. Fetal blood group determination in first trimester pregnancy by chorionic villus sampling; 2. The severity of fetal haemolysis can be predicted only from invasive procedures, which are recommended, when maternal antibodies exceed 1:8. In the second trimester the only accurate method of assessing the severity of fetal anemia is by fetal blood sampling (cordocentesis). Interpretation of amniotic fluid by the Liley method is still valid for the third trimester of pregnancy; 3. Ultrasonographic evaluation of the fetus is the major adjunct for invasive procedures, but cannot reliably distinct mild from severe fetal disease; 4. Therapy should be initiated before the fetus is hydropic (i.e. Hb less than 5 g%). Survival rates above 90% have been reported by several authors giving transfusions by cordocentesis.