ABBREVIATIONS A – amniocentesis DA – deceleration angle FMH – fetomaternal haemorrhage MCA – middle cerebral artery MoM – multiples of median PI – pulsatility index PSV – peak systolic velocity RI – resistance index SA – splenic artery SGA – small for gestational age HDN – haemolytic disease of newborn 1. INTRODUCTION Rhesus alloimmunization occurs when a rhesus negative woman has an immunologic response to a paternally derived red-cell antigen that is foreign to the mother and inherited by the fetus. Rhesus alloimmunization and haemolytic disease of the newborn continues to occur as a serious complication of pregnancy despite well-organized antenatal antiD prophylaxis programs. At the Perinatal Center of Kaunas University of Medicine the incidence has remained stable at around 60 cases of alloimmunized pregnancies and from 30 to 40 cases of haemolytic disease of newborn annually. Perinatal mortality in cases of rhesus alloimmunization has been estimated to be at around 1 to 3.5 percent. Due to failure to apply or comply with antiD prophylaxis guidelines and limitations of the prophylaxis rhesus sensitization continues to occur. Rhesus alloimmunization is diagnosed when the test of a rhesus negative woman for red cell alloantibodies is positive. Prognosis for the fetus and perinatal outcomes depends much on how severely the fetus is affected by the disease at the time of diagnosis. The main pathological entity of the disease is fetal red blood cell destruction and... [to full text]