New 4-D Ultrasound At
Saint Barnabas Medical Center Enhances Viewing and Delights
Expectant Parents
ENHANCED VIEWING ON NEW ULTRASOUNDS
 This
summer the practice welcomed a new fleet of four ultrasounds
with 4-D capability. Traditional ultrasound images are two-dimensional.
The new system allows physicians to see the image on three
simultaneous planes: transverse, longitudinal and horizontal.
These views, combined with the ability to see movements,
bring about 4-D images. The new system actually uses the
traditional ultrasound machine and a new 4-D probe.
Patient interest in the new technology has been tremendous.
"People have seen the ads about the new ultrasounds on television
and everyone is asking, 'Do you have this?'" says Dr. Wolf. "The
picture they see is the difference between a live action
video with the new system and a photograph with the traditional
ultrasound."
Dr. Wolf says that his practice, whose physicians specialize
in the care of high-risk pregnancies, is always interested
in acquiring the most advanced technology available for the
care of their patients. The image provided by the new ultrasound
has a number of medical benefits. Physicians and sonographers
have an enhanced view of fetal development, which may aide
in the evaluation of babies with certain conditions, such
as cleft lips or spina bifida.
If there are problems with the baby's cardiovascular system,
the new system can provide a more complex view of the major
blood vessels of the heart. The new system allows the physician
to view all sides of the spine, or any organ, and twist the
picture for a 360-angle inspection. Also, the addition of "real-time
motion" allows them to see that the baby is moving the appropriate
amount for gestational age.
Dr. Wolf adds, the live action view, which clearly resembles
a baby to a greater degree than traditional ultrasounds,
may foster greater understanding of the pregnancy and promote
parent-baby bonding.
"It brings the pregnancy to life for the parents," he says. "Watching
as the baby moves his mouth and sucks his thumb makes it
more real."
For more information about New Jersey Perinatal Associates
and The Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Saint Barnabas,
please call
(973) 322-5287
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