4d ultrasound in pregnancy: advantages and disadvantages

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After knowing 2D ultrasound (two dimensions) and 3D ultrasound (three dimensions), we now find 4D ultrasound or "three-dimensional real-time ultrasound".

Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article.

Index

What is 4D ultrasound?

You can understand 4D ultrasound as a three-dimensional ultrasound that moves, that is changing over time, as in a video.

Fetal ultrasound in 4D

This group the characteristics of their predecessors adding a fourth dimension, the movement of the fetus in real time, which helps us to have a more real perception of the behavior of the fetus and its motor and physiological activity inside the uterus.

How and when it is done

This ultrasound, like the previous ones, is based on the emission of ultrasound and is not harmful either to the mother or to the fetus.

It is done with the same ultrasound with which we perform the 3D echo, incorporating a specific probe. To obtain a good image in 4D previously we must have obtained a good 3D image.

For this, one of the requirements is that there must be a sufficient amount of amniotic fluid between the surface to be studied and the ultrasound probe. It is for this reason that the appropriate time to perform this ultrasound is between weeks 25 and 32 of pregnancy.

It is not recommended to do it later, since in later weeks of pregnancy the fetal volume increases and the amount of amniotic fluid decreases making it difficult to obtain a good three-dimensional image of the fetus.

In this ultrasound the gynecologist will be able to evaluate not only the fetus but also the amount of amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, the placenta, the cervix and the walls of the uterus.

Advantage

One of the great advantages of this ultrasound is the evaluation of the heart (cardiovascular system) and the detection of congenital heart diseases with greater safety and precision.

Thanks to real-time observation it is possible to explore the heart of the fetus in slow motion and perform a more thorough study in real time.

Another advantage is that once all the images are registered in the software, a study of the fetus can also be carried out with greater ease.

With the 4D ultrasound we have the same advantages as with the 3D echo, this has a huge diagnostic value although perhaps they are made more for the good psychological impact it has on the parents.

Seeing your baby moving inside the uterus gives them more peace of mind than seeing the traditional static image in black and white, sometimes difficult to interpret and obtained with 2D ultrasound.

Make an ultrasound in 4D

Through this ultrasound, parents can see the facial expressions of their baby in real time, for example if the fetus smiles, blinks or yawns. Then the gynecologist will give them a CD copy of that unique moment to be kept as a souvenir.

At the diagnostic level, it also helps us to detect or rule out malformations and genetic pathologies of the fetus, analyze its growth, make more precise measurements and assess the state of the different structures of its body.

Keep in mind that although this ultrasound can see the fetus with a high quality image, it should not be taken as a true prenatal diagnosis. It is a complementary technique to try to get more information.

Authors and collaborators

Teresa Rubio Asensio EmbriólogaMaster University in Reproductive Medicine and Genetics by the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UHM). Professor of Clinical Embryology courses at the UHM. Member and editor of scientific contents in ASEBIR and ASPROIN. Embryologist specialist in Reproductive Medicine in UR Virgen de la Vega. More about Teresa Rubio AsensioFollow us in our networks

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3d and 4d ultrasound in Alicante(Spain)

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