Pregnancy can be an anxious time as many mothers worry about the normality of their babies. As antenatal and neonatal care improves, the impact of fetal malformations on survival becomes increasingly important and this forms the basis of ultrasound screening for fetal abnormalities. These fetal anomalies account for 15% of perinatal deaths and 15% of deaths in the first year of life. It is well known that about one in every 50 babies is born with a major structural abnormality. In addition, compared to the other imaging modalities, it is cost effective and easy to use. This is the result of its ability in obstetrics to provide diagnostic accuracy and a low false positive rate of 0.5%. Since its introduction more than 30 years ago, the ultrasound scan has become commonplace as a tool to obtain information about the baby in the womb. The objectives of screening for fetal abnormalities Occasionally, the ultrasound scan may have to be rescheduled if the view of the baby is persistently difficult. However, it may take a longer time particularly when the position of the baby is not ideal to look at certain organs of the body such as the heart when the baby's spine is anterior (facing up). The scan is done using a trans-abdominal probe. The placenta is located and measurements taken to verify the dates of the pregnancy and assess the baby's growth. The baby will also be examined for chromosome markers or minor abnormalities of the normal anatomy, such as renal pelvis dilatation, talipes or echogenic bowel, that may be found in babies with a chromosomal abnormality. The baby is systematically reviewed to from top to toe to look at the brain, face, spine, heart, lungs, diaphragm, stomach, kidneys, bowel and the upper and lower limbs. This detailed scan looks at every part of the baby and will detect the large majority of major structural anomalies. The 18-23 weeks of pregnancy is an ideal time to screen for these malformations although early diagnosis before 16 weeks is possible with higher resolution ultrasound machines. Ultrasound evaluation of the fetal anatomy may detect major structural anomalies. FMGC - Ultrasound Scans In Pregnancy - Detailed Fetal Anomaly Scan
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