New Horizons in Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia

Abstract

Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) is a common cause of severe thrombocytopenia in newborns. Intracranial bleeding may lead to severe neurological sequelae and mortality. Current management of pregnancies at risk is suboptimal. Prenatal FNAIT diagnosis commonly requires invasive procedures and therapy is associated with a high treatment burden. The present review explores advances in the field and their potential contribution to modification of the diagnostic and therapeutic landscape. Topics addressed include the role of noninvasive prenatal testing using fetal cell free DNA, insights into novel and prospective therapeutic options achieved through the development of murine models of FNAIT as well as the forecast for the progress in pregnancy risk stratification through advancement in the investigation of biological characteristics of alloantibodies and their association with the risk of fetal bleeding.

Maternal and Neonatal Hemostasis

“…Fetal bleeding complications are dealt with in two reviews of this special issue. First, Barg and Bonstein 10 discuss fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, a common cause of neonatal thrombocytopenia that may lead to severe intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). They explore advances in diagnosis, including noninvasive prenatal testing using fetal cell-free DNA, and provide insights into novel therapeutic options.…”