EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY OF ANTENATAL SONOGRAPHY IN DETECTING VARIOUS FETAL CONGENITAL ANOMALIES IN THE SECOND TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY

Dr. B. Swetha; Dr. Ravi Garg

Volume : V, Issue : IX, September - 2016

EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY OF ANTENATAL SONOGRAPHY IN DETECTING VARIOUS FETAL CONGENITAL ANOMALIES IN THE SECOND TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY

Dr. B. Swetha, Dr. Ravi Garg

Abstract :

OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF ANTENATAL SONOGRAPHY IN DETECTING VARIOUS FETAL CONGENITAL ANOMALIES IN THE SECOND TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY. Ultrasound has become an invaluable tool in the antenatal diagnosis of many fetal abnormalities, by allowing early and reliable identification of the severity of various fetal anomalies and their impact, leading to either pregnancy termination or providing an opportunity for fetal therapy. This is a prospective follow–up study involving 3090 singleton pregnant women who were referred to the Department of Radiodiagnosis of Navodaya Medical College, Raichur for a complete second trimester antenatal ultrasound examination. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of ultrasound in prenatal detection of congenital anomalies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included a total of 3090 singleton pregnant women, between the ages of 17 and 38, who were subjected to a second trimester complete antenatal ultrasound examination using gray scale & color duplex imaging. Complete information about the gestational age, placental location, fetal biometry & fetal anomalies (if any) was collected and tabulated. This data was correlated with the pregnancy outcome and appropriate statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 61 anomalies were detected in 51 fetuses. Prevalence of congenital malformations was 1.97%. The sensitivity of the ultrasound scan was 88.46% and specificity 99.83%. The positive predictive value of ultrasound scans was 90.19% and the negative predictive value was 99.80%. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is a highly effective and safe imaging modality for early detection of fetal malformations. Routine anomaly screening improves perinatal outcome, especially in high risk cases, directly through termination of pregnancy for certain anomalies. Sonography has the advantage of being non–invasive, safe, fast, accurate and reproducible with real time display, causing no discomfort to the patient at any time of gestation.