| About
Ultrasounds
Fetal ultrasound provides you
and your doctor with a first glimpse of your developing
baby.
| Quick
Facts *
A safe, painless and non-invasive test
* Typically performed between 18 and 20
weeks of pregnancy
* Used to confirm a pregnancy and its location
* Used to determine how a pregnancy is progressing,
the baby's growth rate, age and sex.
* Used to determine location and development
of the placenta
* Identifies possible fetal abnormalities |
Types of Ultrasounds
* Standard - directs high-pitched
sounds waves toward the baby, which bounces off
tissues, organs and bones in the mother's body,
including those of the baby in uterus. This creates
black and white images on a monitor.
* Advanced or Targeted - used to further investigate
a suspected abnormality identified by a standard
ultrasound.
* Three-dimensional (3-D) - offers 3-D images
with a high level of detail.
* Doppler - measures slight changes in the frequency
of the ultrasound waves as they bounce off moving
objects, such as blood cells.
How To Prepare
* Wear comfortable, loose-fitting
clothing.
* Most likely the test needs to be done with a
full bladder. For transvaginal ultrasound or those
in late pregnancy, a full bladder usually isn't
necessary.
What To Expect
* The examination usually
takes less than 30 minutes.
* The patient is usually positioned on an examination
table and clear gel is applied to the abdomen.
This improves conduction of sound waves and eliminates
air between the transducer, a small plastic device
that sends out sound waves and records them as
they bounce back, and your skin.
* The transducer moves back and forth over the
abdomen, directing sound waves into the uterus
and capturing the reflected sounds waves that
are digitally converted into images.
Back |
About
Us | Office
Hours | Location
| Hospital
Affiliations, Contacts & Directions