Tube Type:
Sterile tissue culture flask provided by laboratory
Cause for Rejection:
Clotted, non-sterile, or frozen specimen; specimen found not to be amniotic fluid
Availability:
Mon-Fri (0700-1600) Sat (0900-1300)
Methodology:
Uncultured amniocytes are fixed to slides, hybridized overnight to appropriate DNA probe(s), washed, and counterstained. 100-300 cells are analyzed using a fluorescence microscope. Images are captured digitally using image analysis software.
Special Instructions:
Discard the first 2.0 mL of fluid in order to lessen the possibility of maternal cell contamination. The presence of maternal cells in the fluid may compromise the results. Typically in situ hybridization studies are confirmed by standard cytogenetic studies. Amniotic fluid karyotype requires an additional 10.0 mL of amniotic fluid. Include pertinent medical findings on the requisition with suspected diagnosis and/or indication(s) for testing.
