[Routine pregnancy ultrasound scans can detect malformations. Multidisciplinary care of both the foetus and parent is...

Routine pregnancy ultrasound scans can detect malformations. Multidisciplinary care of both the foetus and parent is required following diagnosed malformations In Sweden, all women are invited to at least one ultrasound examination during pregnancy. The »Routine ultrasound screening« is usually performed by a midwife around 18 weeks of gestation. There are several aims of the examination: to check viability, to detect multiple fetuses, to determine the location of the placenta, to check the amount of amniotic fluid, to estimate the date of delivery (if this had not been done earlier) and to detect structural fetal malformations. It is important to offer an adequate education for all providers and assure the quality of the examinations. Nationwide courses are offered once or twice a year, and as a goal, all providers should have a »certificate of competence« for this kind of examination. When a fetal malformation is suspected, confirmed after further investigations and the prospective parents decide to continue the pregnancy, multidisciplinary care is offered in cooperation with or at a university hospital.