[Use of 3D ultrasound technique in prenatal diagnosis]

Within a few years 3-dimensional prenatal ultrasound has achieved such a high standard that this technique opens up a new way of image rendering in prenatal diagnosis both for the examiner and for the patient. Using a 3-D ultrasound probe, data acquisition and storage of defined volumes is possible under routine conditions. Within the stored volume every dimension can be visualised and high quality 3-D surface and translucency images can also be provided rapidly. In prenatal diagnosis the advantages are not only in demonstrating precisely the extent of a defect, especially of the surface, but also to convince the parents concerned by clear demonstration of the absence of a specific defect. In 3-D technology there are still some problems to be solved: in severe oligohydramnios, no surface images can be provided, and in the examination of moving objects movement artifacts can occur. On the other hand, improvements in computer technology will soon provide an accelerated image rendering.