ARTICLES

3-D and 4-D Ultrasound
By Lisa B. Samalonis from www.babyzone.com
It used to be that when you showed your friends your fuzzy gray ultrasound pictures you had to explain what they were seeing. Not anymore.

With today's 3-D and 4- D ultrasound technology, parents can view the fetus in great detail, and the pictures taken are remarkable. The ultrasound viewing is done in comfortable surroundings, and Mom and Dad can take a "portrait" home as well as a DVD if they wish.

Ultrasound Facts
Ultrasounds are common in many pregnancies. Healthcare providers frequently request that their patients have an ultrasound performed at various crucial stages in the pregnancy.

With ultrasound, a small transducer sends sound waves into the body, which reflect off internal structures, including the baby. The sound waves or echoes that reflect back are received by the transducer and translated into a picture on a screen that can also be printed out.

Ultrasounds are done for numerous reasons, including determining the age, sex, and size of the baby, the position of the baby and placenta, or if there is more than one baby. The ultrasound can also be used to detect certain birth defects or evaluate the baby's heart rate, movement, and general well-being.

Views Like Never Before
According to GE Medical Systems, the difference between 3-D and 4-D Ultrasound represents the difference between video and a still photograph. 4-D stands for "four-dimensional," which refers to the fourth dimension of time. 4-D Ultrasound takes three-dimensional ultrasound images and adds the element of time to the process. The result: live-action images of your unborn child or of any internal anatomy, offering a view that could possibly help physicians and sonographers to better analyze fetal development.

A 3-D ultrasound uses the same basic concept of a 2-D ultrasound, technology-wise, but rather than take the image from a single angle, the sonographer takes a "volume" image. The volume image that is displayed on the screen is a software rendering of all of the detected soft-tissue, producing a still image.

A 4-D ultrasound (also referred to as "real-time 3-D") extends the concept by taking numerous images in rapid succession. The result of these images displayed in succession is a motion video of the baby.

Read more at www.babyzone.com

Is Ultrasound Safe During Pregnancy?
From www.drapplebaum.com
The Number One Question.

The Answer: YES!

The following, is a quotation from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine addressing this very question:

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE

Official Statement
Approved
March 1993
October 1982

Diagnostic ultrasound has been in use since the late 1950s. Given its known benefits and recognized efficacy for medical diagnosis, including use during human pregnancy, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine herein addresses the clinical safety of such use:

No confirmed biological effects on patients or instrument operators caused by exposure at intensities typical of present diagnostic ultrasound instruments have ever been reported. Although the possibility exists that such biological effects may be identified in the future, current data indicate that the benefits to patients of the prudent use of diagnostic ultrasound outweigh the risks, if any, that may be present.

The Bottom Line: as far as anyone can tell, and a lot of people have looked, ULTRASOUND IN PREGNANCY IS SAFE FOR BOTH THE MOTHER AND EMBRYO/FETUS.

Read more at www.drapplebaum.com