The diagnostic work-up by ultrasound during pregnancy has become an indispensable technique. This method is enormously helpful in many applications ranging from the determination of pregnancy via the exclusion of deformities to growth check-ups. The technique is free of any risk to mother and fetus.
Friedrich Schmidt-Bleek is a specialist in this field. He is in possession of the annual quality-assured certificate of competence in neck transparency examinations of both FMF England and FMF Germany. He is also in possession of the qualification-based billing permission regarding abnormality diagnosis, echocardiography, and color-coded Doppler measurements on fetal and maternal vessels. He is in possession of the qualification to dispense specialty-based genetic counseling according to the German Genetic Diagnostics and Counseling Law.
The technical equipment used in these examinations is state-of-the-art. 3D and 4D sonography are part of the standard repertoire both in diagnostic and surface imaging.
In terms of imaging, pregnancy consists of four distinct phases:
Early pregnancy weeks 6 – 8 : Determination of viable pregnancy, gestational age, number of embryos, location of the pregnancy, and regularity of heartbeat.
First trimester screening weeks 12 – 14 : Measurement of neck transparency, calculation of individual risk of a fetus to be afflicted by Down syndrome. Early detailed diagnosis and echocardiography to exclude serious deformities.
Second trimester screening weeks 20 – 23 : Detailed measurement of fetal structures, exclusion of fetal deformity including those of the heart, exclusion of flow disturbance in fetal and maternal vessels.
Follow ups weeks 26 – 42 : Growth control, if applicable: flow checks in vessels, volume of amniotic fluid.