Written question asked by Michael Fabricant (Conservative) on Friday, 7 October 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 10 October 2005. It was answered by Liam Byrne (Labour) on Monday, 17 October 2005 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Pregnancy (Low-lying Placenta)

Question: (4) what discussions she has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence with regard to the diagnosis of vasa praevia in pregnant women; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: As vasa praevia is a very rare condition and technically difficult to detect, even for a highly skilled ultrasonographer with the appropriate specialist equipment (a colour Doppler scanner), routine screening of all pregnant women for vasa praevia is not currently advocated by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Neither the national screening committee nor the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have made any assessments into screening for this condition.The Department has not undertaken any research into the early diagnosis of vasa praevia.I currently have no plans to meet the Burton Hospital Trust to discuss their procedures for the diagnosis of vasa praevia in pregnant women. This is an issue for the trust, which should be informed by best medical practice.The Department has not had any discussions with NICE with regard to the diagnosis of vasa praevia in pregnant women. We have no plans to refer the topic of vasa praevia to NICE at this time.

Secondary information