Ultrasound

Fetal/Obstetrical

Obstetric ultrasound refers to the specialized use of sound waves to determine the condition of a pregnant woman and her fetus. When the ultrasound transducer is pressed against the skin, it directs a stream of inaudible, high-frequency sound waves into the uterus to evaluate the embryo or fetus. The ultrasound does not use x-ray and is not harmful to the fetus. Still frames of the live picture are captured to create a series of images which are sent to the radiologist for interpretation.

Obstetric ultrasound is performed only when clinically indicated. Some indications may be:

• To establish the presence of a living embryo or fetus
• To estimate fetal age
• To diagnose congenital abnormalities
• To evaluate the position of the fetus
• To evaluate the position of the placenta
• To determine if there are multiple pregnancies
• To evaluate serial growth of the fetus

The obstetrical ultrasound examination usually takes 30 minutes.