The role of ultrasound examination in detection of congenital abnormalities

Abstract EN

This is a prospective follow-up study involving 314 pregnant women who attended the U / S department in one of the main hospitals in Basrah city over the period from December 2003-December 2004.

The aim of the study was to assess the validity of ultrasound in prenatal detection of congenital anomalies in Basrah city.

The majorities (64.3 %) of pregnant women were attending for U / S examination in their third trimester, and only 0.3% were attending in the first trimester.

The validity of prenatal U / S examination in detecting fetal congenital abnormalities was found to be very high.

The study recommended that U / S examination should become part of the antenatal care provided in the primary health eare centres.