What is Ultrasound?
Ultrasound is energy in the form of sound waves. The sound waves move at a frequency too high to be heard by the human ear. By reflecting off internal organs and being "read" by scanners, the sound waves create pictures of the internal organs and during pregnancy, the fetus.
How Ultrasound Works
Real-time ultrasound combines still pictures in rapid succession to show movement, similar to the frames that make a motion picture. Real-time ultrasound can show the fetal heartbeat, movements of the arms and legs, growth of the fetus, and the placenta.
Ways Ultrasound is Used
You will be informed when your provider thinks ultrasound should be used and how often it should be utilized to best suit the health and well being of your baby. A routine or standard ultrasound examination can determine the following:
(1) single or twin pregnancy
(2) Fetal viability (is the fetus alive?)
(3) Fetal position
(4) Assigning gestational age and weight
(5) Assessment of the amniotic fluid volume
(6) Evaluation of the placenta
(7) Looking for major fetal malformations, and
(8) Evaluation of the uterus and the ovaries in early pregnancy
Limitations of Ultrasound
To examine every fetus for all possible birth defects would be highly impractical. This requires a targeted ultrasound examination beyond the expertise and training of the average ultrasound technologist. The purpose of the study you are having today is primarily for the detection of major defects. This exam cannot guarantee that all defects will be found. As the fetus develops during the pregnancy, anatomic defects are also likely to develop. A defect found at birth may have been impossible to be detected earlier. Should there be suspicion of a serious problem or defect, you will be referred to a perinatologist.
Safety, Risks, and Benefits
Although the effects of ultrasound are being studied, no harmful effects to either the woman or the fetus have been found in over 20 years of use. With many potential benefits ultrasound is therefore justified.
*The following information will help you understand your ultrasound better:
Black = fluid & White = bone
Your diagnostic medical ultrasound will assess the following information:
Fetal Position - (breech=bottom down & cephalic=head down)
Placenta Position and Cervical Length -rule out placenta previa (placenta covering the cervix)
Brain Abnormalities - Hydrocephalus (water on the brain)
Abnormalities associated with Down’s Syndrome: Diaphramatic Hernia (hole in the diaphragm), VSD (hole in the heart), Cleft Lip, hydronephrosis (fluid back up in the kidneys), two vessel umbilical cord (there should be three vessels), and umbilical cord insertion abnormalities.
Spina Bifida = the spinal cord doesn’t close completely
Fetal Measurements = Head, Abdomen, and Femur (leg bone). The due date is only altered by your physician if the ultrasound measurements are two weeks different than your due date.
Presence of 2 arms & 2 legs