With the advent of 3D ultrasound technology for use during pregnancy, parents-to-be and their doctors can view the unborn baby in more detail than ever before. Instead of a flat black-and-white two-dimensional scan, 3D ultrasound provides a 3-dimensional picture that provides depth to the image and permits viewing more effectively into the fetus's body to see internal structures.
Technology
Ultrasound works by sending ultrasound waves through a transducer placed on the mother's abdomen and interpreting the results using a computer. Instead of a single signal, the 3D ultrasound takes multiple images of different depths and puts these together to give a 3-dimensional picture.
Uses
In pregnancy, doctors typically perform one or more ultrasounds to assess the health of the fetus and look for any signs of birth defects. 3D ultrasound can be used in place of 2D for these routine scans or can be ordered as an additional scan to look at possible defects in more detail. 3D ultrasound also can give the parents-to-be a look at their unborn baby's facial features and body structure. It can show the baby's gender if the parents want to know whether they are having a girl or boy and may promote bonding between the parents and their baby.
Diagnostics
Because 3D ultrasound gives a more detailed picture than traditional 2D ultrasound, this allows doctors to diagnose problems in the fetus more effectively. Smaller defects that are not visible in a traditional sonogram may be spotted in a 3D scan. Defects that can be more easily diagnosed via 3D scan include club feet, low-set ears, facial dysmorphia, mild cases of spina bifida, cleft palate, polydactyl, fetal tumors and heart defects.
Advantages
Aside from the benefit of greater levels of detail, there are some other advantages to 3D ultrasound. One benefit is the ability to see the fetus at angles unavailable through 2D scans, such as views parallel to the mother's abdominal wall. Because a 3D scan can simultaneously look at multiple angles, it allows for a better overview of the fetus and enables measurements of things like head size and amniotic fluid volume. The 3D scan collects more data than a 2D ultrasound, which can be looked at later by a doctor or sonographer and further analyzed.
Disadvantages
Despite the benefits of 3D ultrasound, there are some disadvantages to using it. Cost is a major factor, especially for routine ultrasounds for low-risk pregnancies. Technicians need to be trained to operate and interpret images from 3D ultrasound machines, since the orientation of the image produced is different from a traditional sonogram. Data storage is another issue, since 3D ultrasounds produce much more data than 2D.
