Transabdominal and Transcervical Chorionic Villus Sampling Models to Teach Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellows

Abstract

Objective 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.

Methods 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.

Results 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.

Conclusion We report a novel training model for transabdominal and transcervical CVS to teach proper technique in a nonclinical setting.

Keywords

chorionic villus sampling - simulation - education model - task trainer - fellow training - procedure for karyotyping

• References

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