Importance Of Level II Ultrasound Scan ( Anomaly Scan)

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Importance Of Level II Ultrasound Scan ( Anomaly
Scan)
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What is the Level II ultrasound scan The vast
majority of babies are normal. However all women,
whatever their age, have a small chance of
delivering a baby with structural abnormalities
that cause physical or mental limitation. Many
such abnormalities can be diagnosed and ruled out
with the fetal anomaly scan. This is a detailed
scan done at 18-20 weeks during which each part
of the fetal anatomy is examined to see if the
baby is developing normally. Special attention is
paid to the fetal structures like brain, spine,
face, stomach, bowel, kidneys, urinary bladder
and limbs. In addition to these structures fetal
growth, the position of the placenta, amniotic
fluid, umbilical cord, fetal tone, fetal
movements and cervical canal are also
assessed. What are the indications of Level II
scan Now a days with the advancement of the
medical field it is a routine to get level II USG
for all the expecting mothers whether there is
any history of any congenital abnormality in
previous issues or not.
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Even If you had a first-trimester (level 1)
sonogram as part of a first-trimester screening
test, the more detailed level 2 sonogram is
important because of all the additional valuable
information it gives your practitioner about
whats going on with your baby. When is this
scan done In Indian setup, the level II scan is
done between 18-20 weeks. It is advisable to get
it done at 18 weeks so you have a window of 2
weeks to get any additional tests done like a
quadruple marker or a review USG in higher
centers in case of any abnormality is
detected How a level 2 ultrasound is done First,
the important thing is you need not be the empty
stomach. You may need to drink some water before
your exam so youll have a full bladder, which
makes it easier to take ultrasound
images. Youll lie on an exam table with your
abdomen exposed, and a sonographer will apply gel
and then move a transducer over your abdomen. The
detailed level 2 scan can take 30 to 45 minutes
depending upon the position of your baby at the
time of examination, so be patient for best
results. You may be told to wait for sometime and
take a stroll or drink some juice if the position
of the baby is not allowing the doctor to see
some parts of the fetus.
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During the scan, your doctor may show you the
heartbeat, hands, feet, spine, and face of your
baby. You may even catch sight of your baby
yawning, sucking a thumb, waving the hand,
kicking etc. What is the significance of the
results of this scan In very few cases severe
structural abnormalities can be detected at this
stage like anencephaly, the fetus with multiple
structural abnormalities, skeletal dysplasias,
absent liquor with abnormalities kidneys etc
seen. In these cases and carrying the pregnancy
further is of no use and termination of pregnancy
is the only option. Detection of such
abnormalities at this early stage helps in timely
and safe medical termination of pregnancy ( which
is not allowed in India once the fetus crosses
20 weeks) In many cases, soft markers are
detected ( i.e few markers which indicate the
risk of having any chromosomal abnormality) like
choroid plexus cysts, hypoplastic nasal bone,
echogenic focus in heart, fetal ventriculomegaly
etc.
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Very few babies showing soft markers end up
having an abnormality. If any of these markers
are seen on the USG scan, your practitioner will
let you know whether any follow-up testing is
necessary (like amniocentesis, chorionic venous
sampling, NIPT etc). It is not necessary that
every abnormality detected in the anomaly scan
will result in the termination of the pregnancy.
Some abnormalities can also be treated whereas
some other defects are so minute that they hardly
affect the birth and growth of the baby. Article
Resoure - https//www.apexdiagnostics.in/blog/leve
l-2-ultrasound-scan-anomaly-scan/