The second trimester scan is a routine ultrasound examination in many countries that is primarily used to assess fetal anatomy and detect the presence of any fetal anomalies. The second trimester extends from 13 weeks and 0 days to 27 weeks and 6 days of gestation although the majority of these studies are performed between 18 and 23 weeks. (Chudleigh & Thilaganathan, 2004)
2. Patient’s history
The patient is a 31 year old pregnant female, with unsure dates of her last menstrual period but also saying she last got her menstrual period in February of 2017. The patient has a gravida of 2, a parity of 1.
3. Clinical indication for the request
A pregnancy test came out to be positive. Patient now presents with a request for FA scan or mid-trimester ultrasound scan.
4. Equipment and Accessories
It is recommended to use equipment with real time, grey scale ultrasound capabilities, transabdominal ultrasound …show more content…
Some abnormalities are very difficult to find or to be absolutely certain about. Some conditions, like for example hydrocephalus, may not have been obvious at the time of the earlier scan. The position of the baby in the uterus has a great deal to do with how well one sees certain organs such as the heart, face and spine. Sometimes a repeat examination has to be scheduled the following day, in the hopes the baby has moved so then the disadvantage of this is that it can be time consuming. Images tend also to be much clearer in patients with less body weight with more amniotic fluid, and frustratingly fuzzy in the bigger women, particularly if there is not much amniotic fluid as in cases of growth restriction. (Woo,