Introduction to anomaly scanning in early pregnancy and congenital malformations
This tutorial costs £15.00
Anomaly scanning is routinely performed in the second trimester. The RCOG recommends a gestational age of 18–22 weeks for a routine anomaly scan; however, with recent advances in ultrasound technology it has become possible to image the growing fetus at earlier gestations with surprising clarity.
As with any field of clinical medicine, a sound knowledge and familiarity with the 'normal' is essential to recognise the 'abnormal'. There is also a need to critically evaluate the role and cost effectiveness of newer technology, preferably before it is introduced into wider practice. In this chapter, we shall examine the important aspects of early pregnancy anomaly scanning.
Learning objectives When you have completed this chapter you will be able to: - recognise and describe the sonoembryology at 11–14 weeks of gestation
- outline the anomalies that can be diagnosed in each of the body systems
- decide on the best time to perform an early pregnancy anomaly scan
- outline the effectiveness of early pregnancy anomaly scanning in diagnosing fetal abnormalities
- discuss the advantages of early pregnancy anomaly scanning
- evaluate the impact of early pregnancy anomaly scanning on service provision in the NHS.
|