Antenatal Management of the Thrombocytopenias

Thrombocytopenia, the most common hemostatic disease of the newborn, can now be safely identified and treated antenatally to prevent life-threatening fetal and neonatal hemorrhage. This article focuses on the fetal thrombocytopenias with emphasis on the most common causes, the immune thrombocytopenias, including alloimmune and autoimmune mechanisms. The clinical presentation and differential diagnosis are discussed briefly.