A nurse is caring for a client who had chorionic villus sampling (CVS) performed at 12 weeks’ gestation and asks when she can expect results from this test.

The nurse should inform her that results are typically available within which timeframe?

This is because a nuchal translucency ultrasound measures the amount of fluid behind the baby’s neck in the first trimester of pregnancy, which can indicate the risk of having a chromosomal condition like Down syndrome.

Some possible explanations for the other choices are:

Choice A is wrong because fetal growth and development are not directly related to the nuchal translucency measurement.

Fetal growth and development are assessed by other parameters such as crown-rump length, biparietal diameter, abdominal circumference, etc.

Choice B is wrong because blood flow in the umbilical cord is not measured by the nuchal translucency ultrasound.

Blood flow in the umbilical cord is assessed by Doppler ultrasound, which evaluates the resistance and velocity of blood flow in the umbilical artery and vein.

Choice D is wrong because structural abnormalities in the baby’s organs are not detected by the nuchal translucency ultrasound.

Structural abnormalities in the baby’s organs are diagnosed by a detailed anatomy scan, which is usually performed in the second trimester of pregnancy.

The normal range for nuchal translucency is between 1 mm and 3 mm.

A measurement above 3 mm is considered increased and may indicate a higher risk of chromosomal or genetic conditions.

However, a nuchal translucency ultrasound is a screening test and not a diagnostic test, so it does not confirm or rule out any condition.

It only provides a probability based on statistical calculations.

Therefore, further testing may be recommended if the nuchal translucency measurement is increased or if other risk factors are present.

This result suggests that the baby has a low risk of having a genetic disorder or a neural tube defect.

Choice B is wrong because a high level of AFP indicating a neural tube defect would be greater than 2 MoM.

Choice C is wrong because a low level of AFP indicating a potential chromosomal abnormality would be less than 0.5 MoM.

Choice D is wrong because an inconclusive result, requiring further evaluation, would depend on other factors such as ultrasound findings and maternal age.

MoM stands for multiples of the median, which is a way of comparing the AFP level of a pregnant person to the average level for their gestational age.

Values between 0.5 and 2.49 MoM are considered normal.