Ultrasound is the most accurate diagnostic method we have to control fetal well-being. It is a technique that does not involve any risk for the mother or the child.
All ultrasound scans are performed at Clínica Ripoll and are carried out by a specialist in obstetric ultrasound using a high-definition ultrasound.
The number of ultrasounds, as well as the timing of the scan, will depend on each case, but the following are routinely performed:
This ultrasound is used to confirm the pregnancy and date it exactly.
In this, we can see the gestational sacs names and, in case of being multiple, the type of gestation.
It can also be detected if the sac location is correct or pathological (ectopic, cervical, etc.).
The first ultrasound is done vaginally, because better images are obtained.
It is done between weeks 11 and 14. This ultrasound is combined: vaginal and abdominal. With it, 2 parameters are obtained:
With these parameters, and through a complex computer program, a very reliable statistical index of Down Syndrome risk is obtained.
In this, the fetal malformations, cervical length and premature birth risk are detected and evaluated. The blood supply at the level of the uterus is also measured.
It is done abdominally.
Three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound, as its name suggests, is a three-dimensional representation of space. It is done between week 26 and week 32.
4D ultrasound is a technique that allows the visualization of the fetus in three dimensions and in real time, that is, to be able to observe the fetus in movement.
These techniques, if the exploration conditions are appropriate, allow us to visualize the fetus moving, as if we were inside the maternal womb.
The images can present a high quality and realism, an experience that increases the affective bond of the parents of the future child.
It helps us to control the child growth and thus being able to detect, in advance, possible delays in growth.
Occasionally, routine ultrasound scans are complemented by more specialized scans, such as echocardiography or color Doppler.
Echocardiography allows a dynamic study allows a dynamic heart study of the heart’s function when heart malformations are suspected.
Color Doppler studies the blood exchange between the mother and the child, allowing, through the exploration of fetal and placental blood circulations, to know the supply of nutrients that the fetus receives. This test is performed when problems are suspected during fetal growth.
