Of all the diagnostic modalities, it is ultrasound which has no harmful effect on the foetus and therefore ultrasound scan is used extensively during the pregnancy. When a woman becomes pregnant, it can be confirmed with Urine Pregnancy Test around the 3rd week of pregnancy. Beta HCG is a blood test which can confirm pregnancy even at the end of the second week. First ultrasound during pregnancy is done around 6-8 weeks to see the viability of the foetus. Around 14-16 weeks another ultrasound is done which is called Level 2 Ultrasound to rule out any congenital anomalies in the foetus. Scar Thickness, Nuchal Thickness (NT Scan) and Colour Doppler Obstetrical are other ultrasounds which are done during the course of the pregnancy. One Ultrasound is done around the 30th week to see the position of the foetus which determines whether the delivery can be normal or through cesearean section.
Ultrasound during the pregnancy is done to measure the foetal heart rate, estimating the gestational age through length, skull diameter and other parameters of the foetus. Level 2 ultrasound is done to detect any congenital anomaly in the foetus like cleft lip, extra fingers, hydrocephalus etc. In order to get a quality ultrasound the combination of a good 3D Ultrasound Machine and an experienced radiologist is of paramount importance. The ultrasound machines at all our centres are 3D/4D and all the probes have more than 10000 channels for crystal clear grey scale images. Stones of the size 2-3 mm are also visible with such high resolution probes. The best advantage of ultrasound scan is that it is free of any radiation and even a pregnant woman can undergo any number of ultrasound scans without causing any damage to her body or the foetus in her tummy. Ultrasound is an excellent modality for early detection of any kind of cancer in the body.
Ultrasound is one of the cheapest diagnostic modality and offers great value for money proposition. Ultrasound scans during pregnancy cost in the range of Rs. 1500 - 3000 for different types of scans at our centres. As per the PNDT Act, the ultrasound scan for a pregnant women can be done only on the advice of a Registered Gynaecologist. The patient needs to bring an ID Proof and Address proof alongwith the doctor prescription to get this ultrasound scan. The time taken for doing the ultrasound scan in pregnancy is 10-15 minutes and the report is made available within 15-30 minutes of the scan being completed. There is no requirement of fasting for these ultrasound scans. During early pregnancy the patient must have full urinary bladder for better visualization of the foetus. We have multiple centres in the NCR Region and you can get appointment at any of our centres at Gurgaon by calling on the numbers +91-8800188334 / 8800188335 / 8800188336.
Dr Rajesh Choudhary has more than 20 years of experience in the field of Radiology. Dr Choudhary has been trained in the latest radiological techniques from Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner and PGI Chandigarh.
Dr Shruti Sangwan has been trained at Lady Hardinge Medical College, Maulana Azad Medical College, PGI Chandigarh and Artemis Hospital Gurgaon in the field of Radiology and has more than 18 years of experience.