Measurements and planes assessed during second-trimester scans in Brazil: an online survey

The purpose of this study was to estimate what measurements and planes are being assessed during second-trimester scan in Brazil, some characteristics from performing physicians and whether informed consent is being asked.

Invitational e-mails were sent for all physicians registered in the database from three institutions. Participants who agreed to participate were directed to an online survey consisting 21 questions. All participants who agreed to participate and sent the online survey were included. We excluded participants who sent an incomplete survey; those who perform ≤ 10 second-trimester scans per month and those who do not work in Brazil.

A total of 41,847 invitational e-mails were submitted, and 467 participants were included in the final analysis. We observed a relatively low proportion of participants examining some important planes from fetal heart: only approximately 80% usually examine the five-chamber and three-vessel views and only 44.3% examine the tracheal view. Regarding the expertise of examiners, we observed that 10.7% of participants do not have any certificate acknowledged by our official institutions. Additionally, only 7.9% of the participants ask for signed informed consent before examination.

Specific guidelines are still missing. A relatively high proportion of second-trimester scan do not evaluate even what is suggested to be performed in a routine second-trimester scan.