If an abnormality is detected, couples may decide to either terminate or continue the pregnancy. Most couples are very glad just to know what to expect. If we know in advance that defects are likely, we can prepare to have the child delivered here to ensure that the baby receives the specialized care he or she will require, and we can prepare the family to help meet the child's special needs, as well. Other medical centers in the U.S. are also now offering the technique. We believe that it will quickly become very accepted practice and that women will soon begin to demand it.
Nuchal translucency is a new, less invasive way to detect possible birth defects in early pregnancy.
The process involves the use of an ultrasound examination to measure the skin thickness of the back of the neck of the fetus. The figure in the lower left corner of the sample ultrasound is the neck skin thickness 1.2 mm. The nuchal translucency computer program uses three pieces of data to calculate a patient's specific risk for delivering a child with birth defects.