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Poster Session 1

Category: Genetics

Poster Session 1

(99) Does experience matter? Complication and success rates in CVS by operator role

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Submitting Author and Presenting Author(s)

Adam J. Schettler, MD

MFM Fellow
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

Coauthor(s)

CE

Christopher S. Ennen, MD

Assistant Professor
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Ryan D. Farias, MD

University of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
ED

Enkhbileg Dendev

Medical Student
Unvieristy of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
AL

Ashley Lin

Medical Student
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
NJ

Nina Jannatifar

Medical Student
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Bridget M. Donovan, MD (she/her/hers)

MFM Fellow
University of Virginia
University of Virginia, Virginia, United States

Objective:
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) requires experienced proceduralists to ensure safety and success, and hands-on training is critical to maintain this skillset across future physician generations. Limited data exist on how trainee involvement impacts CVS outcomes. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) fellow performance of CVS procedures impacted success and complication rates.

Study Design:
This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who had a transabdominal, transcervical, or combined CVS procedure at a single tertiary center between January 2016 and June 2025. The exposure was whether an MFM fellow or faculty physician performed the CVS procedure. Collected data included maternal characteristics, procedural details, complication rates, and unscheduled visits within four weeks post-procedure.

Results:
During the study period there were 137 total CVS procedures performed. MFM fellows performed 58% (n=59) of those procedures. There was no significant difference in the maternal BMI (27.9 vs 27.0 p=0.376) or placental location between the fellow and faculty groups. Procedural data is presented in Table 1. Transabdominal procedures comprised 42% of the fellow group and 32% of the faculty group (p=0.214). There was no difference in the number of procedures requiring more than one pass (16.9% vs 12.8% p=0.498) or the milligram quantity of villi collected (50.0 mg vs 57.1 mg p=0.473) in the fellow versus faculty groups. Complications of CVS procedures by operator are presented in Table 2. Total complication rates were low and there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusion:
Fellow-performance of the CVS was not associated with increased risk of the procedure to either fetus or pregnant patient, with no difference in overall procedure success rate. This study provides reassurance to learners, teaching faculty, and patients to continue the imperative hands-on CVS skill learning during fellowship without compromising patient safety or outcomes.