The work was carried out by a research team from Trondheim University Hospital in Norway. Their results are published in The Lancet medical journal. This means doctors would have a much clearer idea of what is going on in the womb during pregnancy. Dr Harm-Gerd Blaas led the investigation. The technique offers extremely accurate images and produced 3D imaging of objects less than 10mm long.
Doctors currently have to make do with low-resolution ultrasound images.
The researchers said they had better results with the new technique. The team precisely monitored the development of 34 embryos between seven and 10 weeks. They said they were able to obtain the first ever accurate measurements of some parts of the head of a foetus using the technique. His was the inspiration for the study, the researchers said. He made 3D reconstructions of embryos in the 19th century.