What Doctors Don't Tell YouAnother flaw in the triple test for pregnant women seems to have been uncovered - it doesn't work too well on Asian women. The test is designed to detect Down's syndrome in the unborn fetus, and comprises ultrasound, serum screening and...
When combined with plain X-rays, ultrasound is as effective as urography and may actually be safer, according to a new UK study.
The mainstay of modern obstetric diagnosis is the ultrasound scan (or sonography). Similar to radar, real-time scanners employ very-high-frequency pulsed sound waves (3.5-7 mHz, or 3.5-7 million cycles per second)
Ultrasound scans can predict Down’s syndrome. A nuchal scan measures the depth of the dark fluid-filled space at the back of the baby’s neck at 10-13 weeks of pregnancy. If the space is thicker than usual, your baby may be at risk of Down’s.
* Avoid Doppler, particularly the duplex variety for detecting the baby’s heartbeat and pulse; the ‘Doptone’ fetal-pulse detector is a commonly used handheld device. The B-mode has a higher safety margin
Yet another study confirms that routine ultrasound examination of normal women is of no benefit and the technique should be restricted to high-risk pregnancies.
