3D Ultrasound at Baptist Hospital in Beaumont

Giving Patients the Best in Imaging Services

3D ultrasound is a medical ultrasound technique used in obstetric ultrasonography to provide three-dimensional images of a fetus. This is done by sending sound waves into the body and processing the returning echoes with a sophisticated computer program. This results in a 3D image of a fetus’s surface or internal organs similar to how a CT scan machine constructs an image from multiple x-rays. 3D ultrasounds allow one to see width, height, and depth of images.

Benefits of 3D Ultrasound

Although there is no direct medical benefit of receiving an elective 3D ultrasound, there may be many indirect benefits as listed below. It is important to note that there has been no conclusive evidence in medical literature to support these benefits.

Using 3D ultrasound may be able to offer benefits such as:

• Clearer picture of the features of the fetus, helping doctors detect healthy growth as well as defects early on
• Offers better perspective to observe placement and location of the fetus
• Highly accurate imaging technology that has resulted in far fewer misreads

Risks of 3D Ultrasounds

Generally, the risks of 3D ultrasound are the same as those of regular ultrasounds as it uses the same ultrasound waves at the same intensity. Unlike the comparison of CT scans to x-rays, 3D ultrasounds do not employ multiple snapshots of 2D ultrasounds but uses the 2D ultrasound images taken at various angels to construct an image.

The risk of ultrasounds depend on the following factors:

• Duration, intensity, and frequency of ultrasound exposure which could raise the temperature of the targeted area and cause tissue damage
• Palpitation of the belly to better view the fetus, some of which can be aggressive
• Better image quality which could result in false positives

Download a copy of our Prenatal Verification/Patient Consent Form here