Ultrasound scans are usually performed to:
- Confirm pregnancy
- Accurately determine gestational age
- Determine viability - to confirm presence of heartbeat
- Determine fetal number
- Reassure the mother that her baby appears to have no gross structural or growth abnormalities
- Determine placental morphology and localisation
Preparation: Please attend your appointment with a full bladder to improve image quality.
Early pregnancy scan: performed at 8-16/17 weeks
Determines the presence of a heartbeat, multiple embryos and gestational age. If there is concern over a possible ectopic pregnancy or in the very early stages of pregnancy, a trans-vaginal scan may be carried out from 6 weeks.
Detailed Normality scan: performed at 18-20 weeks
This scan will provide detailed information of the baby's major organs and any structural abnormalities present. The sex of your baby may also be determined at this point. Your Obstetrician and/or Ultrasonographer will look closely at the baby's face, spine, head, limbs, chest and abdominal structures and heartbeat. The position of the placenta and amount of amniotic fluid present are also noted.
Foetal Cardiac scan: performed at 22-23 weeks
This scan is carried out by a paediatric Cardiologist (Dr F Casey) and is used solely to image the baby's heart to identify the presence of congenital defects or cardiac abnormalities.
4D Ultrasound: performed at 24-32 weeks
This 4D scan has the added dimension of real time imaging enabling you to capture the miracle of your baby’s development including smiling, yawning, arm stretches, kicking and sleeping.