Complete chorioamniotic membrane separation. Case report and review of the literature.

We present a patient who developed complete chorioamniotic membrane separation (CMS) in two consecutive pregnancies. The first pregnancy ended with an intrauterine fetal death at 25 weeks of gestation. The entire separated amniotic sac had twisted around the umbilical cord. In the subsequent pregnancy, a complete CMS was diagnosed at 34 weeks of gestation. In both pregnancies, the patient underwent an early 2nd-trimester genetic amniocentesis. A review of the literature shows that extensive CMS is associated with miscarriage, in utero fetal death, umbilical cord complications, and preterm delivery. Most reported cases occurred after invasive intrauterine procedures. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel