Antenatal care: non-immune hydrops: practice question

A OBG question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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OBG · Antenatal care: non-immune hydrops

Sample item

A fetal ultrasound shows ascites, pleural effusion and skin oedema, and the mother is Rh positive with a negative indirect Coombs test. What is the commonest category of cause of this condition today?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Non-immune hydrops fetalis, commonly cardiovascular or chromosomal

Non-immune hydrops accounts for the large majority of hydrops cases since the introduction of anti-D prophylaxis, with causes including cardiac anomalies and arrhythmias, chromosomal disorders, infections such as parvovirus B19 and thalassaemia. The work-up includes antibody screen, TORCH and parvovirus serology, karyotype and fetal echocardiography. A negative Coombs test excludes immune hydrops.

Option by option

  • A. ABO incompatibility in all cases

    ABO incompatibility rarely causes hydrops.

  • B. Maternal diabetes only

    Diabetes is not the cause of most hydrops cases.

  • C. Non-immune hydrops fetalis, commonly cardiovascular or chromosomal (correct)

    Correct. Most hydrops today is non-immune, with cardiac and chromosomal causes common.

  • D. Rh alloimmunisation

    A negative indirect Coombs test makes Rh alloimmunisation unlikely.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More OBG questions

Questions about this OBG question

What is the answer to this OBG question?

The best answer is C, Non-immune hydrops fetalis, commonly cardiovascular or chromosomal. Non-immune hydrops accounts for the large majority of hydrops cases since the introduction of anti-D prophylaxis, with causes including cardiac anomalies and arrhythmias, chromosomal disorders, infections such as parvovirus B19 and thalassaemia.

Why is "ABO incompatibility in all cases" not the answer?

ABO incompatibility rarely causes hydrops.

Why is "Maternal diabetes only" not the answer?

Diabetes is not the cause of most hydrops cases.

Why is "Rh alloimmunisation" not the answer?

A negative indirect Coombs test makes Rh alloimmunisation unlikely.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Antenatal care: non-immune hydrops in OBG. The work-up includes antibody screen, TORCH and parvovirus serology, karyotype and fetal echocardiography. A negative Coombs test excludes immune hydrops.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Antenatal care: non-immune hydrops?

Learn management algorithms as steps: PPH, eclampsia, ectopic pregnancy. Then use the flashcards and the other OBG questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.