Can a four-dimensional ultrasound detect fetal abnormalities?
Disease description:
I'm pregnant and have heard that the four-dimensional ultrasound is very important. I would like to know if a four-dimensional ultrasound can detect fetal abnormalities.
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
As an advanced prenatal screening technique, four-dimensional ultrasound examination can, to some extent, detect fetal abnormalities.
Four-dimensional ultrasound provides real-time dynamic imaging, allowing observation of fetal growth and development from multiple angles and positions, thus offering physicians abundant diagnostic information. Compared with traditional two-dimensional ultrasound, four-dimensional ultrasound provides more three-dimensional and dynamic images, enabling physicians to more intuitively evaluate fetal growth. Four-dimensional color ultrasound can accurately monitor the development of fetal external features and certain organs, such as limbs, fingers, the nervous system, urinary system, and heart, thereby identifying certain fetal abnormalities.
However, no prenatal examination can guarantee 100% accuracy, and four-dimensional color ultrasound is no exception. It may be difficult for four-dimensional ultrasound to fully detect minor or hidden structural abnormalities. Therefore, physicians usually combine the results with maternal medical history, family genetic history, and other ancillary examinations, such as amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling, to comprehensively assess the risk of fetal abnormalities.
Four-dimensional color ultrasound can effectively detect fetal abnormalities, but pregnant women should not rely solely on this examination. It is important to attend all prenatal checkups on schedule and integrate results from multiple tests to make accurate assessments and ensure fetal health.
