WAUSAU (WAOW) -- Baby number two looks like baby number one. That's what we found out during an ultrasound at 31 weeks. But what 3 and 4D ultrasound offers patients is far more than the baby's appearance. It plays a critical role in assessing potential problems so they can be addressed at delivery.
Dr. Allahyar Jazayeri said, "The 3D ultrasound looks at the volume of interests rather then just a slice. When we look at 2D we're looking at just a slice of the baby."
This volume of information has evolved over time from the late 90s when the images weren't so clear to images that clearly define the baby's face, arm and legs, and organs. And, while 3D offers views and structures, the fourth dimension adds time.
"The fourth dimension is time so that when you're doing the 3 dimension in real time you can see the baby move and images of that," Dr. Allahyar Jazayeri said.
We saw the baby sucking, moving her head, arms, and legs. She even opened her eyes. Through ultrasound technology you can track blood flow through the vital organs, but it's truly best to assess three important things.
"When using 3D images of the spine you can actually look up and down the spine and look at the vertebra and make sure there's not a defect like spina bifida, " said Dr. Allahyar Jazayeri. "The other area is the face or cleft lip and palate. You can see much better images on 3D that you wouldn't be able to see on 2D. The other area is the heart. Again, you can collect a volume of information with 3D from the heart so you can go back and forth and study it to make sure there's not defects."
While you can't really treat any uncovered defects in utero, the findings help make sure baby is born in a facility that can take care of the defect at birth.
