Obstetric Ultrasound

Obstetric Ultrasound is a test that allows us to see the fetus inside the mother's womb through ultrasound, wich is harmless for both the fetus and mothe. In recent yeras tremendous progress has been made in this area, due to greater diagnostic accuracy, resulting from technological improvement of the equipments, and from greater expertise of the sonographers.

This is a technique wich can be carried out vaginally and/or abdominally (depending on the gestational age clinical conditions), which allows visualization of the fetus, placenta, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord and maternal pelvic structures.

In a low-risk pregnancy, there are 3 rerquired ultrasound exams in line with the General Directorate of Health and the Technical Committe of Ultrasound.

- Obstetric Ultrasound 1st trimester

- Obstetric Ultrasound 2nd trimester

- Obstetric Ultrasound 3rd trimester

When there is reason to doubt the gestational age or inability to calculate it correctly, an Early Obstetric Ultrasound should be performed for dating the pregnancy (usually before 10 weeks).

In certain situations, it may be appropriate to carry out more Ultrasounds during pregnancy, particularly in cases where fetal abnormality is diagnosed, maternal disease (diabetes, hypertension ...), or changes in fetal growth or the amount of amniotic fluid volume variations, etc

Ultrasound Exames

Early Obstetric ultrasound (<10 weeks)

Aims to:

• Confirm the existence of intrauterine pregnancy
• Exclude the possibility of a non evolutionary pregnancy (anembryonic pregnancy and missed abortion)
• Exclude the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy (ectopic pregnancy))
• Confirm the time of gestation (accurate pregnancy dating)
• Determining the number of fetuses present and their viability (twin pregnancy) and determining the number of placentae (monochorionic or bichorionic)

In most cases this ultrasound is performed through the vaginal cavity using a vaginal probe, due to its better accuracy of image in this early age pregnancy.

Benefits and Limitations of Ultrasound exams

Obstetric Ultrasound is a complementary diagnostic test, useful and essential in the surveillance of all pregnant women, serves to oversee the evolution of pregnancy, good fetal development and detect any abnormalities in the fetus. There may be other complementary means of diagnosis to clarify abnormal clinical suspicion (amniocentesis, Chorionic Villous Sampling).