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Are 3d and 4D useful for all the patients ?
Most ultrasounds are conventional 2D (or two-dimensional) images. 2D ultrasound images are made up of a series of thin image 'slices', with only one slice being visible at any one time to create a 'flat' looking picture. During the late 1990's, 3D or 'three-dimensional' ultrasounds (also known as 'ultrasound holographs') started to become available in some ultrasound centres. However, 3D ultrasound machines are extremely expensive and are not widely accessible at this stage.
3D ultrasounds work by taking thousands of image 'slices' in a series (called a 'volume of echoes'). The volumes are then digitally stored and shaded to produce 3 dimensional images of the baby that look more life-like. 4D (or 'four-dimensional' images) just means the images can be seen to move in 'real time' so the activity of the baby can be studied.
Most 3D ultrasound machines require the operator to hold the transducer steady, while the internal workings of the transducer move at the correct speed to capture each 'volume'. Other machines can involve the operator manually moving the transducer over the area to capture the volume. However, this requires a good deal of skill and practice so the transducer is kept perfectly steady and images are obtained at the proper rate and angle.
From a medical perspective, 3D/4D ultrasounds are not essential and generally, all the information your caregiver needs can be obtained through a conventional 2D ultrasound. However, the claimed benefits for using 3D/4D machines can include:
Seeing some parts of the baby more clearly and at any angle. For example, better visualising abnormalities such as a heart defect, cleft lip or neural tube defects such as spina bifida. This may help make better plans for the baby's treatments and care soon after birth. Sometimes an additional 3D ultrasound will be ordered to have a better look at an abnormality that may have been detected with a routine 2D ultrasound.
Possibly taking less time to perform the ultrasound examination (and therefore less exposure), because the images are stored as computer images for examination later on.
Possibly increasing bonding between parents and their baby, because the picture of the baby is more realistic and also the baby's activities can be seen more clearly (for example, yawning, swallowing and blinking).
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At this stage, if a 3D ultrasound machine is available, the ultrasonographer will tend to use it as an additional tool for further information, rather than a replacement for 2D ultrasound.
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