Ultrasound - Treatment, Procedure And Side Effects

First-trimester screening is a prenatal test. It is conducted to get early information about a baby's risk of certain chromosomal conditions. It can detect conditions like Down syndrome (trisomy 21) and extra sequences of chromosome 18 (Trisomy 18).

It is usually conducted in two steps:

1. Blood test
2. Followed by USG

Initially, a blood test is conducted to ascertain the levels of two pregnancy specific substances in the mother's blood. The blood is tested for pregnancy associated plasma protein and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). Thereafter, a USG is done to find out the size of the clear space in the tissue that is present at the back of the foetus’s neck.

The screening is done between weeks 11 and 14 of pregnancy. The doctor is able to gauge the risk of your baby having Down syndrome or Trisomy 18 by using your age and results of the test. This screening is quite helpful and can guard you against deadly consequences in the future. Down syndrome is known to cause impairments in the mental and social development of the child. Trisomy 18 gets often fatal by age 1. However, first screening doesn’t find out the risk of neural tube defects.

It is the first screening done in pregnancy. It can be done before any other screening. Thus, the results are known at an early stage. You will get time to think about the future consequences can help you in deciding your course of action and the decision to either continue or terminate the pregnancy. You will be ready to know and decide whether you will be able to live and take care of a baby with special needs. You can conduct other screenings later in pregnancy. You must know that first-trimester screening is treated as being optional. It can detect the risk and cannot tell you whether your baby has the problems in real or not.

Often women get worried about the test and it’s after effects. However, there is no need to worry. It will not harm your pregnancy. The foetus remains untouched and safe during the screening. It will not lead to any miscarriage or any other complication.

A practitioner will collect your blood by inserting a needle into your veins. The blood is then sent for testing to the lab. You can resume your usual daily activities. The ultrasound will need you to lie on your back on a table and the technician will put a transducer on your abdomen. The sound waves will be changed into digital images that the technician will refer to. You can get back to your normal routine as soon as the test is over.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

When your doctor suspects of the presence of extra fluid in your lungs, you might be advised for a thoracic ultrasound. What is a thoracic ultrasound and why do you need it? With a thoracic ultrasound, your doctor will be able to look at everything in the thoracic cavity and can know if your lungs, heart, and other structures in the chest are working fine. The pulmonologists can efficiently determine the lung condition even in critically ill patients using a non-invasive ultrasound technique.

And, since the method is based on sound, there is no risk of exposure to potentially harmful ionizing radiation or nephron-toxic contrast dye in this case. Hence, a thoracic ultrasound has become the most preferred technique for conducting a preliminary examination or to further check and confirm a finding noted using other imaging techniques for thoracic diseases.

Reasons to have a chest ultrasound

• The doctor usually refer an ultrasound when he or she can feel that there is some extra amount of fluid in your chest. The ultrasound can tell the physician the reason behind the deposition of excess liquid.
• The ultrasound would help detect the type of fluid that is present in the chest, whether it is exudate that is caused due to inflammation, an infection, or lung cancer, or whether it is transudate that is a leakage from the lymph nodes or the blood vessel. It determines the movement of the diaphragm.
• Chest ultrasound can be done in conjunction with other examinations like CT scan, MRI to evaluate the condition of the chest.
• It has to be noted that, in certain circumstances such as severe obesity and barium in your esophagus, the procedure can give an inaccurate result. Hence, it is always advisable to talk with the health care provider and share your complete medical history before undergoing this procedure to prevent such occurrences.

After a Thoracic Ultrasound

• After the results of the ultrasound are received, the doctor can detect what the condition of your chest is at the moment. Your doctor will also confirm if the lungs have collapsed or if there is water in the lungs, or excess fluid has deposited into the lungs.
• Ultrasound can also reveal if you have pneumonia. A diagnosis like this does not take a long duration, and thus the ultrasound plays a significant role in expediting the treatment process.
• There are no hard and fast regulations to follow after the ultrasound. The physician may recommend few instructions depending on your situation. In typical cases, there is no special preparation like fasting is required and you need not be sedated during the ultrasound as well.
• A safe and painless method to detect the condition of the chest and the respiratory organs and the blood flow through the organs in your chest, a thoracic ultrasound is a preferred procedure that can help your doctor to diagnose your condition and decide upon the treatment method.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Today, prenatal testing can help pinpoint your unborn child’s risk to a number of genetic conditions. NIPT or non-invasive prenatal testing is a modern form of prenatal testing that does not harm the mother or child. NIPT involves a simple blood test that can be performed as an outpatient procedure in any doctor’s office. Blood for this test is collected from a vein in the mother’s arm. The DNA from this blood sample is then studied in a laboratory to look for signs of abnormalities. These results are them compared to your first trimester ultrasound results to determine if further testing is required.

There are a number of advantages to this form of testing

1. Highly Accurate: NIPT results are said to be accurate in 99% cases. This clears doubts about chromosomal abnormalities and helps parents to be deal with problems in their unborn children. For example, NIPT testing can be used to diagnose problems like Down syndrome. NIPT also decreases the need for other forms of invasive prenatal testing.
2. Safe: NIPT is noninvasive and does not harm the health of the baby or the mother. Since it involves only a simple blood test, it does not cause pain or discomfort either. It also has no connection to miscarriages. Pregnant woman above the age of 35 and those who have had an ultrasound showing an increased risk of aneuploidy or those who have a history of trisomy can benefit from this form of pre-natal testing. The only known alternative to this form of testing involves withdrawing DNA samples from the amniotic sac with the help of a needle. This form of testing can result in a miscarriage in rare cases.
3. Comfortable: Unlike prenatal tests that require precision while withdrawing DNA from the amniotic sac, the NIPT requires far less expertise. This makes women much more comfortable undergoing this form of testing as compared to the other.
4. Early Diagnosis: With prenatal testing parents do not have to wait till a baby is born to find out if he or she suffers from any genetic complications. NIPT can be scheduled as early as 10 weeks into the pregnancy and hence gives the parents enough time to prepare themselves to deal with the issue if any.

However, you should remember that NIPT cannot be used to replace diagnostic tests such as amniocentesis. Also, it does not detect all chromosomal abnormalities. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an IVF Specialist.

Every woman has a unique system, especially when it comes to matters like menstrual cycles and pregnancy. There are some women who go through normal bleeding while for others, it may be less than ideal. Also, there are women who may experience a condition known as Menorrhagia which is characterised by excessively heavy bleeding during menstrual cycles. Cramping and bleeding for longer than a week are the most common symptoms of this condition. Here are ways to treat this condition.

1. Basis of Treatment: The main cause will dictate the basis of treatment for this condition. Your overall medical history and state of health will be taken into account along with the future of your childbearing plans. The gynaecologist will also study the effect of this condition on your lifestyle and examine your tolerance towards certain supplements and medicines.
2. Medication: The doctor may prescribe iron supplements in case of anaemia due to the condition. Further, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs like naproxen and ibuprofen may be prescribed too. Oral contraceptives and progesterone are also helpful in such cases while Tranexamic acid can reduce the excessive blood loss. The doctor may also insert an intrauterine device to release levonorgestrel to make the uterine lining thin.
3. Dilation and Curettage: The doctor will dilate or open up your cervix in this procedure to suction away tissue from the uterine lining. One may need additional sessions if the condition recurs.
4. Focused Ultrasound Ablation: This procedure aims at treating the excessive bleeding by shrinking the fibroids that may be causing the same. This is also similar to a procedure known as uterine artery embolisation which blocks the uterine arteries in order to shrink these fibroids.
5. Myomectomy: In this procedure, the doctor will surgically extract those fibroids which are causing the excessive bleeding during menstrual cycles. The procedure is conducted either through laparoscopy or incisions in the vagina and cervix, depending on the size, location and number of fibroids.
6. Endometrial Ablation: Using this procedure, the doctor will permanently do away with the lining of the uterus, which is also known as the endometrium. This will be done by inserting an electrosurgical wire loop to remove the lining. Pregnancy is usually not recommended after this surgery.
7. Hysterectomy: This is a surgical procedure that is recommended for very severe cases. In this procedure, the doctor will surgically remove the uterus as well as the cervix. This is a permanent procedure that will put an end to the menstrual periods altogether. The procedure will be conducted by administering anaesthesia first, and will require hospitalisation as well. The doctor may also remove the ovaries of the patient with this procedure for premature menopause. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult a gynaecologist.

Intrauterine growth restriction is a condition where the foetus is smaller than it should be according to its age because it is not growing at a normal rate inside the uterus. This puts the baby at risk for several dangerous conditions during pregnancy, delivery and post-birth. Some of these are low weight at birth, caesarian delivery, decreased oxygen levels, low blood sugar, low resistance power, breathing problems and low body temperature. IUGR can lead to stillbirth in extreme conditions and to long-term growth problems too. This is the main reason why prenatal birth monitoring is very important.

Causes
IUGR can occur in expecting mothers who have a problem with the placenta. We already know that placenta is the cord of life that joins the mother with the foetus. It provides oxygen and food to the developing baby inside the womb. Apart from this, IUGR can occur if the mother has:

1. Diabetes
2. Hypertension
3. Heart disease
4. Rubella or syphilis infections
5. Kidney or lung disease
6. Malnutrition or anaemia
7. Twins and triplets also increase the risk for IUGR

The main symptom of IUGR is a small baby for its age in the womb. It may look small and sickly and the placenta is dry and shrivelled.

Management
Dealing with IUGR depends on many factors. Usually, doctors go for a slew of tests to see how the infant is doing. A detailed sonogram is usually performed to look for foetal anomalies. Tests like a urine sample, ultrasound, platelet count and liver function test are also administered to the mother. The mother is put on bed rest to improve blood flow to the foetus and antenatal steroids are prescribed to promote foetal lung maturity. General management also includes treatment of maternal disease like high BP and cessation of substance abuse or alcohol.

For management of IUGR, daily blood pressure measurements, foetal movement profiles, serial ultrasound examinations are important to determine the severity and progression of IUGR. If the situation becomes critical, labour is induced and the baby is delivered by caesarian section.

IUGR can’t be cured and can only be managed so it’s best to prevent it in the first place by keeping all of your prenatal appointments. You must be aware of your baby's movements. If your baby is not moving much or stops suddenly, you should rush to your doctor. You must also not take any medicine without consulting your doctor during pregnancy. Eat healthy and rest fully to have a risk free birth and last, but not the least, stay away from drugs, alcohol and smoke, even second hand, for the health of your baby. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Gynaecologist.