3D ultrasound
As a 3D ultrasound , also called 3D sonography, which increased by one more dimension two-dimensional representation, for example, in ultrasound examinations during the prenatal diagnosis of pregnancy called.
The three-dimensional view ( 3D ) enables a spatial representation of the unborn child or individual organs and body parts. The 3D ultrasound is a special method of ultrasound examination and does not differ from other ultrasound examinations for the pregnant woman or the patient in terms of procedure.
A method of 3D ultrasound that has been expanded to include the dimension of time is 4D ultrasound .
Diagnostics during pregnancy
Physical peculiarities (including heart defects , facial fissures and forms of neural tube malformations such as spina bifida aperta or anencephaly ) that have already been determined or suspected with fine ultrasound or the usual ultrasound can often be seen more clearly with the 3D ultrasound and accordingly often better in their characteristics and treatability be assessed.
Chromosomal peculiarities (e.g. Down syndrome , Edwards syndrome , Pätau syndrome ) can not be diagnosed. Only certain physical abnormalities (see also: soft markers ) can provide information about a chromosome peculiarity, so that amniocentesis can be considered for diagnosis.
The most favorable periods for 3D images are the 12th to 16th week of pregnancy (for pictures of the whole unborn child) and the 25th to 33rd week of pregnancy (for detailed pictures of individual organs and body parts of the unborn child). Earlier and later examination times are also possible in principle.
Often, 3D images are combined with NT screening (= measurement of the nuchal transparency of the unborn child) or taken around the 26th week of pregnancy. How well the unborn child or its individual organs and body parts can be seen and whether the gender can also be recognized depends not only on the examination equipment and the doctor's ability, but also on factors such as the position of the unborn child, the position of the placenta , the amount of amniotic fluid (little amniotic fluid means poor sound conduction), the week of pregnancy and the thickness of the maternal abdominal wall.
Pictures as "souvenirs"
If the circumstances are favorable, the pregnant women or the parents can also look at the pictures of the child, which are mostly perceived as particularly beautiful. In medicine, 3D ultrasound is used in pregnant women especially for detailed diagnostic examinations and is carried out in this context by special gynecologists / prenatal centers from DEGUM level 2 or 3.
3D pictures as souvenirs are mainly known from the USA, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France and other European countries. In such ultrasound practices, pure memory images are offered without diagnostic services. The pictures do not only serve as a memory of the pregnancy. There are now also offers in Germany for pure souvenir pictures.
photos
- Course of pregnancy with 3D ultrasound I ( Memento from February 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Course of pregnancy with 3D ultrasound II ( Memento from January 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
literature
- Michael Entezami, Mathias Albig, Adam Gasiorek-Wiens, Rolf Becker: Sonographic malformation diagnostics - teaching atlas of fetal ultrasound examination. Thieme, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-13-129651-8 .
- Rolf Becker, Walter Fuhrmann, Wolfgang Holzgreve: Prenatal diagnosis and therapy - human genetic counseling, etiology and pathogenesis of malformations, invasive, non-invasive and sonographic diagnosis and therapy in utero. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8047-1357-2 .
