Prenatal Diagnosis of Unique Translocation t(7;15) (qll.23;q26.3) in a Fetus

Translocation, as the name implies, is the movement of a chromosomal segment to a new location in the genome. Once a structural chromosome abnormality has been detected, prenatal diagnosis in subsequent pregnancies and termination of pregnancy in the case of an unbalanced fetal karyotype is recommended. A woman was referred at 18 weeks of gestation to the Medical Genetics Clinic for an amniocentesis because of advanced maternal age (35), triple test risks and recurrent abortions. Prenatal ultrasound was normal. The amniocentesis revealed a male karyotype with an apparently balanced translocation:46,XY, t(7;15) (q11.23; q26.3). To our knowlegde, this is the first case in the literature of prenatal diagnosis of the unique translocation t(7;15) (q11.23;q26.3) in a fetus.