Contributed by Lisa Olen| 05 December, 2004 19:48 GMT
There were no significant differences indicating deleterious effects of multiple ultrasound studies at any age as measured by standard tests of childhood speech, language, behaviour, and neurological development.
Women who are advised to undergo multiple ultrasound examinations during pregnancy can be reassured by the results of a new study published in The Lancet. These results contradict a ten-year old study suggesting that frequent ultrasounds might have negative effects.
The earlier randomized trial highlighted how repeated ultrasound exposure at five different times during pregnancy was associated with growth restrictions among newborn babies compared with children exposed to only one ultrasound examination in utero.
Follow-Up of Original Study
The current analysis provides long-term follow-up data on the growth and development of children from the original study. Physical and developmental assessments were done at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 years of age on children born without congenital abnormalities and from singleton pregnancies.
Follow-up data were available for around 2,700 children -- half of whom had been exposed to repeated ultrasound, the other half to one ultrasound exposure before birth.
No Significant Differences Observed
Physical sizes of infants were similar in the two groups from one year of age onwards. There were no significant differences indicating deleterious effects of multiple ultrasound studies at any age as measured by standard tests of childhood speech, language, behaviour, and neurological development.
Lead investigator John Newnham (university of Western Australia at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth) comments: |
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