The emerging practice of 3D Ultrasound

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The emerging practice of3D Ultrasound

• Benefits and Risks of 3D/4D ultrasounds
• Beezer Moolji, MD
• First Peek Ultrasound
• Owner, Medical Director

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Mission

• To provide short-term and long-term benefit to
  families by reducing the barrier between the
  mother and child before birth.

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Customer Wishes

• Bonding begins at the first positive pregnancy
  test
• Pregnant women seek to know their baby, bond with
  their baby, and be close to their baby in many
  ways
• Curiosity and shift in focus occurs
• What will my baby look like?
• Is it a boy or a girl?
• Is my baby healthy and normal?

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What are ultrasounds?

• Sound waves at a higher pitch than one can hear
• Above 20kHz (3-15 MHz used)
• Produces an image based on echoes, similar to the
  image a bat may have by using sound waves
• Ultrasounds occur in nature
• natural warnings to earthquakes
• Used by bats, dolphins, whales, and elephants
• May be felt by humans

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History of ultrasounds

• Began to be used as a safer alternative to x-rays
  in pregnant women
• Over 30 years of use, with no known associated
  medical harms
• Suspicion and hesitancy when first used
• Still discouraged by some

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What are 3D ultrasounds?

• An ultrasound with the transducer pointing at
  different angles, with the resulting images put
  together and interpreted into a 3D image by the
  ultrasound machine
• Analogous to CT scans in relation to x-rays
• Uses the same intensity and same ultrasounds as
  2D ultrasounds
• Exposure is not multiplied, as with CT scans, but
  is related to duration of session

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2D vs. 3D ultrasounds

• Clearer to the untrained eye
• Mothers are better able to recognize their baby
• Visual image Stronger emotional connection

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3D vs. 4D ultrasounds

• 4D is simply a 3D ultrasound moving in timetime
  is the 4th dimension
• 4D ultrasound technology only recently available
  due to faster 3D ultrasound technology
• 4D recorded as a video clip on CD or seen on DVD
• 4d ultrasound video

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Who gets the 3D ultrasound

• Traditionally...
• Upper middle class
• First baby
• Caucasian

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Reaching out to others...

• Lower middle class
• African-Americans, other minorities
• Other cultures and languages
• Blind, Deaf, disabilites
• Students
• Military

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Best time to get a 3D ultrasound

• Gender check - at least 17 weeks
• Offered between 17 - 32 weeks
• Ideal time 24 - 30 weeks

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Way to get a good image

• No need for a full bladder
• Drink plenty of water (32 oz/day) for 1-2 weeks
  before
• Without water With water

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Benefits of 3D ultrasounds

• Medical
• No direct medical benefit
• Many indirect benefits
• May reduce alcohol intake
• May help reduce other harmful health behaviors
• May help reduce intrapartum and post-partum
  depression

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Other benefits to mom

• Better able to visualize the baby
• Bonding between mother and child
• Bonding, involvement of father
• Find out the gender
• Planning purposes
• Increases bonding, through visualization
• Able to share pics with family, friends
• Makes motherhood more real

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Risks of 3D ultrasounds

• Safety
• Same/similar to 2D
• May produce heat when focused in one spot for
  hours to days
• More safety issues regarding other aspects
• Getting on and off bed
• Aggressive manipulation of belly
• Drinking caffeine to stimulate baby for a good
  photo shot

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Risks of 3D Ultrasounds

• Medical harms
• Slight increase in left-handedness in boys who
  receive 3D ultrasounds
• Unknown reason
• No associated mental defects or harms
• Other unintended harms
• False positives
• Cysts, duplications, holes, artifacts
• Seeing the fetus too early (under 17 wks)

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Risks of 3D Ultrasounds

• False reassurance
• May discourage prenatal care
• Prolonged or repeated exposure may have some
  unknown risk
• Exposure to untrained staff may cause unintended
  harms

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Risk reduction

• Medical director
• Certified ultrasound technicians
• Adequate training
• Communication with ob/gyn
• Safety inspections of the clinic, regular
  inspections of the ultrasound machine
• Limit duration to 30 minutes
• Must have prenatal care prior to session

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Future developments...

• May soon be part of routine care
• May soon be covered by health insurance
• Illinois State Law may soon develop oversight and
  restrictions on 3D ultrasound studios, i.e.
  requiring a medical director, requiring
  verification of prenatal care
• Neurologic testing of the fetus for CP
• 5D ultrasound?

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Thank you for your interest

• First Peek Ultrasound
• 1100 Lake Street, Suite 155
• Oak Park, IL 60301
• 708-870-0808
• www.OakParkUltrasound.com