The Pros and Cons of Ultrasound Doppler in Pregnancy

Although a lot of people say that it is not good to have ultrasounds during pregnancy, certain kinds such as ultrasound Doppler could be used to reduce the numbers of Caesarian sections and stillbirths because it makes it possible to monitor the development of the baby.

What is Doppler ultrasound?

This is a kind of special technique that measures the umbilical blood flow. The way it works is similar to the way the radars work in case of cars. Based on the blood flow, the doctor will know whether the fetus is healthy or not. With the help of the ultrasound they can recognize the high risk pregnancies and they can decide if the patient in question needs assistance in delivering or not.

Ultrasound DopplerWhile at this moment the Doppler ultrasound may seem very helpful, there are also some professionals who say that it could cause unnecessary interventions.

In order to find out the truth, there has been a study conducted regarding high risk patients.

These included women who already had miscarriages, women with diabetes, hypertension and also women with restricted growth babies.

Some of the patients had ultrasound Doppler while the others didn’t. The findings of the research have shown that the number of dead infants decreased, the Caesarian sections have been better timed and there was less need for these interventions.

Although this research has shown the advantages of Doppler ultrasound, these are still questionable. There is need for a better performed trial to have certain results. It is also possible that while in some cases the importance of the ultrasound Doppler is vital, in other cases it makes no or little difference.

Naturally it is always the decision of the people that matters, based on the results shown by the Doppler ultrasound.

Thermal effects of the ultrasound Doppler

Since the ultrasound goes through the tissues of the body, it absorbs a lot of energy and because of this the body temperature of the patient might rise. This change could be of 2 degree centigrade. Because of this there could be some thermal injuries to the fetus, causing birth defects as a result of Doppler ultrasound.

Mechanical effects

It has been noticed that in case of ultrasound usage there are tiny bubbles formed in the tissues of the body. Because of this the body temperature rises and could result in permanent cell damage since these bubbles tend to implode. Studies have found kidney injuries caused by such implosions.

You may see that there are both pros and cons of ultrasound. Although people have to be careful when using it, at the moment this is a very important procedure to ensure of the health of the baby being used all over the world. Nonetheless people shouldn’t abuse of it and should use it only when necessary.

When you get pregnant most probably you will have ultrasound Doppler to ensure of the baby’s health, and also make sure that the placenta and the uterus look ok after the first 16weeks of pregnancy.

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