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Sonographers and sonologists hold favorable views of the role of three‐dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) in obstetrics following a formal lecture on the subject
Author(s) -
Hull A. D.,
Pretorius D. H.,
Newton R.,
James G.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.202
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1469-0705
pISSN - 0960-7692
DOI - 10.1046/j.1469-0705.2001.abs20-4.x
Subject(s) - medicine , obstetrics , sonographer , pregnancy , fetus , subject (documents) , obstetrics and gynaecology , ultrasound , radiology , genetics , library science , computer science , biology
Purpose: To assess awareness and attitudes towards the use of 3DUS in obstetrics in a group of medical professionals attending a national imaging conference. Methods: Around 200 subjects attended a 45‐min lecture on 3DUS and obstetrics at a major national meeting. The lecture included slides and multimedia content. Eighty‐eight individuals (68 female and 20 male) completed a self‐administered questionnaire regarding their impressions of the subject following the talk. Results: No subject had personally undergone 3DUS, however, 78% of women said that they would like to have a 3DUS in a future pregnancy. Sixty‐five percent of men said they would encourage their partner to have a 3DUS in a future pregnancy. Of those who favored 3DUS in a future pregnancy, 54% cited better visualization of fetal anatomy as their main reason for this choice, 12% felt that 3DUS afforded advantages over 2DUS in anomaly detection. Only 5% felt that 3DUS would be more reassuring than 2DUS to them personally. Despite this, 80% of all subjects felt that 3DUS would have a major role in reassurance for lay women carrying a normal fetus in the future. Seventy‐two felt that 3DUS should be more widely available for prenatal diagnosis than at present. 3DUS was felt to offer advantages over 2DUS for anomaly detection by 38% of subjects. The multiplanar capability of 3DUS, production of ‘realistic images’ and ready recognition of fetal structures were cited as reasons for this view. Conclusion: 3DUS used in an obstetric setting appears to have already gained significant levels of acceptance amongst this audience of imaging professionals. Most believe that 3DUS should be more widely available for the evaluation of both normal and abnormal fetuses. The value of 3DUS in the production of readily understandable images of a normal fetus in the reassurance of pregnant women was widely endorsed.