Dr. Mark I. Evans

11/03/2024

Reduction also plays a huge role in these numbers.

Giving birth to triplets, quadruplets or even more has become increasingly less common in the United States.

05/03/2023

Blood tests do not provide the comprehensive results that CVS provides.

Dr. Mark Evans, guest lecturer for the semiannual MSREI meeting provides insights about advantages, limitations, and sensible utility of preimplantation and ...

01/22/2023

Non-invasive testing is flawed. Reach out to us at evans@compregen.com to discuss accurate alternative approaches to genetic testing.

Pregnant patients should discuss test results with a health care provider before making any decisions about their pregnancy

12/30/2022

May your New Year be full of wonder and joy.

11/24/2022

Wishing you a restful and peaceful Thanksgiving.

06/30/2022

Go to www.compregen.com for more information.

05/19/2022

We are still seeing patients during the uptick in COVID. Please arrive masked and call our office if you don’t feel well.

06/06/2021

Are you screening or diagnosing?
Diagnostic tests are:
1. Meant to give a definitive answer
2. Are commonly expensive
3. May have risks.
4. Only done on patients who are “at risk.”
Screening tests are:
1. Meant for everyone
2. ONLY adjust odds.
3. Do NOT give a definitive answer.
.mark.i.evans

02/19/2021

Thinking about expanding your family? We provide comprehensive genetic testing for individuals and couples seeking to determine their genetic health prior to beginning the process. Contact us through www.compregen.com for more information.

For more than 30 years Dr. Mark I. Evans and associates have developed and delivered a large number of new prenatal procedures for women concerned about the health of their developing fetus.

01/09/2021

What is FISH testing?
In the early 1990s, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was first developed in which probes that lined up with known sequences of DNA were developed to allow a rapid assessment. At the beginning as with many technologies there were technological hurdles to overcome, but once that was achieved, FISH has served for about 20 years as a reliable technique for rapid diagnosis certainly of the common problems such as Trisomies 13, 18, 21, and the s*x chromosomes. We use FISH routinely (virtually all cases) in the evaluation of prenatal diagnosis cases (CVS/amniocentesis) to get the answers to the common chromosomes which have most of the abnormalities seen, and we get them overnight

01/03/2021

SAFETY OF GENETIC TESTING
Amniocentesis was first attempted in the mid- 1960s and only for the highest risk situations. Procedure complication rates were estimated at about 2% or more. There was no ultrasound available to guide. Palpation of the abdomen was used to try to determine the position of the fetus to place the needle elsewhere. Considerable skill was required to be able to feel in the operator’s fingers the density gradients as one passed the needle through different tissue levels until resistance gave way as the needle entered the fluid of the amniotic cavity.
In the 1980s as ultrasound guidance became feasible and a cadre of physicians who specialized in such procedures emerged, the safety and accuracy of amniocentesis increased. Simultaneously, chorionic villus sampling (CVS) began as a 1st trimester alternative which had the major advantage of privacy as the procedure was done a full month earlier and results came back quicker. At the beginning, I had one of only 15 FDA granted investigational device exemptions to test the CVS catheters. In 1990, the FAD granted approval for routine use. Utilization of CVS in experienced centers such as mine, then in Detroit, dramatically increased approaching 50% of all procedures. In the early 90s there were concerns raised about a possible association of limb reduction defects, but these were disproven.
In experienced hands, CVS and amniocentesis are both very safe procedures and equally so. The attributable procedure risk is in the 1/800 to 1/1000 over the normal background rate of loss. The real debate that patients should be having is whether they are happy with an odds adjustment (Gallop poll) – as comes from screening procedures like NIPT or diagnostic ones (election results) from CVS or amnio. Since the 2 procedures are equally safe, early answers and privacy have many advantages.