Pregnancy Ultrasounds Today

The use of ultrasound imaging during pregnancy is called obstetric ultrasound. Since it was introduced in the late 1950s, the field of obstetric ultrasound has become a useful tool for medical diagnosis. It is used to get a glimpse of the fetus in a mother's womb. In many countries, routine pregnancy ultrasounds tests are performed to help identify potential birth defects of the baby in utero. With the capability of diagnosing and treating problems in utero, advancements in ultrasound technology have cleared the way for increased rates of survival.
Research has shown that an ultrasound exam during pregnancy is safe for the unborn child. A wand called a transducer scans the abdomen in real time to form a continuous picture of the moving baby on a monitor. Very high frequency sound waves are usually used in this process. They are released from the transducer, when the wand is placed in contact with the maternal abdomen. When it is moved around, the technician can see much of the uterus.
Sound waves are beamed into the abdomen where they scan the fetus and are then reflected back as an echo onto the transducer. The information obtained from different echoes is used to create a picture on the monitor's screen. After 16 weeks, the sex of the baby can usually be determined. It depends on the ultrasound machine and abilities of the technician. Movements like the fetal heartbeat, as well as malformations in the fetus can be distinguished and measurements can be made accurately with the images displayed on the monitor. Fetal structural abnormalities can be diagnosed by an ultrasound scan performed before 20 weeks.
Most often, ultrasounds are performed with a full bladder while the abdomen is scanned. They are usually done early in a pregnancy in order to detect birth defects and to ascertain the sex of the child. An ultrasound is quite literally a hassle-free, safe and painless procedure, though a full bladder may cause some uncomfortable pressure. The gel that is used to conduct radio waves does not stain and the radio waves cannot be felt during the procedure.
Getting a good 3D and 4D image depends on the skill of the operator, the baby's position and the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. For example, a good image of the face can only be captured if the baby is facing upwards, his hands aren't in front of his face and there is a sufficient pool of amniotic fluid surrounding the area. The increasing availability of 3D and 4D ultrasounds is largely due to the great advancements in computer technology. The aim of three and four-dimensional pregnancy ultrasounds is to eliminate invasive tests as much as possible.
The key to the successful treatment of birth defects and malformations is an early diagnosis. In the past fifty-plus years, developing technology in pregnancy ultrasounds has increased tremendously, thus giving medical practitioners the tools they need to pinpoint and diagnose problems while a baby is still inside the womb.

By: John Piersol

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