PREGNANCY-BIRTH Messages for October, 2001: Re: need reassurance about level II u/s

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Re: need reassurance about level II u/s

From: William McIntosh, MD (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 31 Oct 2001 09:51:11 -0600 (CST)

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In reply to: Jane: "need reassurance about level II u/s"

At Tue, 30 Oct 2001, Jane wrote: >
>I just had my level II u/s today at 21w 4d. The baby measured exactly
>right and all the organs were there and neither the tech nor the doctor
>mentioned any abnormalities or problems.
>
>I just watched the videotape and there's a huge section missing from the
>tape where they did not record! This was the section where they zoomed
>in on the 4 chambers of the heart and you could see the blood flowing in
>and out colored blue and red, differentiating between the oxygenated
>blood and the non-oxygenated blood.
>
>Looking back, they spent a lot of time focusing in on the heart, more so
>than any of the other organs. Then after the tech was done, the doctor
>came in (a maternal-fetal specialist) and he reviewed the stills and
>then looked at the baby once more, again focusing in on the heart.
>
>Someone mentioned to me that some places won't let you record the u/s
>because of liability (if they miss an obvious defect, you can't use the
>videotape as evidence against them later). I'm wondering if they
>purposely did not record this part because of liability, just as a
>matter of course? Could there be a problem with the heart and they're
>just not sure of what they're seeing so they're not bringing it up? Or
>should I just be glad that they spent so much time looking at the heart
>and didn't just skim over it?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>Jane

All level II U/S spend a lot of time on the heart, particularly if the positioning makes it difficult to see everything that you need to see. In modern America, they are far more likely to tell you even the slightest unusual finding than to try and hide something, for medico-legal reasons if for no other. All the places that I know that video the U/S, just tape a portion of the exam, typically a general survey, where they point out the highlights of anatomy for the parents. It sounds like you got a good, thorough exam that was normal in all respects.

-- William D. McIntosh, MD, FACOG

This is for educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for consultation and examination by a licensed medical professional.

Next message: Meli: "Abortion effect"
Previous message: Lynn D. Montgomery, MD: "Re: Are these two results significant in pregnancy?"
In reply to: Jane: "need reassurance about level II u/s"

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