The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE PHYSICIANS PRACTICE BULLETIN CLINICAL MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES FOR OBSTETRICIAN–GYNECOLOGISTS NUMBER 175, DECEMBER 2016 (Replaces Practice Bulletin 101, February 2009, and Committee Opinion 297, August 2004) Ultrasound in Pregnancy Obstetric ultrasonography is an important and common part of obstetric care in the United States. The purpose of this document is to present information and evidence regarding the methodology of, indications for, benefits of, and risks associated with obstetric ultrasonography in specific clinical situations. Portions of this Practice Bulletin were devel- oped from collaborative documents with the American College of Radiology and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (1, 2). for later review. To ensure that the ultrasound equipment Background is operating at a safe and optimal level, regular service Instrumentation should be performed as recommended by the manufacturer. Obstetric ultrasound examinations are performed with a Types of Examinations transabdominal, transvaginal, or transperineal approach. Real-time ultrasonography is necessary to confirm fetal The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, viability through observation of cardiac activity and the American College of Radiology, the American active fetal movement. The choice of transducer fre- Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, the National quency is a trade-off between beam penetration and Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the resolution. Lower frequencies provide better penetration Society for Maternal–Fetal Medicine, and the Society of but at the expense of resolution. Selection of the proper Radiologists in Ultrasound have adopted the following transducer is based on the clinical situation; however, uniform terminology for the performance of ultrasonog- with modern equipment, abdominal transducers gener- raphy in the second trimester and the third trimester: ally allow sufficient penetration in most patients while standard, limited, and specialized (1–3). providing adequate resolution. During early pregnancy, an abdominal transducer with a frequency of 5 MHz or Standard Examination a transvaginal transducer with a frequency of 5–10 MHz A standard obstetric ultrasound examination includes an or higher generally provides very good resolution while evaluation of fetal presentation and number, amniotic allowing adequate penetration. A lower-frequency trans- fluid volume, cardiac activity, placental position, fetal ducer may be needed to provide adequate penetration biometry, and an anatomic survey. The maternal cervix for abdominal imaging later in pregnancy or in an obese and adnexa should be examined as clinically appropriate patient. Images should be archived and easily accessible and when technically feasible. Committee on Practice Bulletins—Obstetrics and American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. This Practice Bulletin was developed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee on Practice Bulletins–Obstetrics and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine in collaboration with Lynn L. Simpson, MD. The information is designed to aid practitioners in making decisions about appropriate obstetric and gynecologic care. These guidelines should not be construed as dictating an exclusive course of treatment or procedure. Variations in practice may be warranted based on the needs of the individual patient, resources, and limitations unique to the institution or type of practice. The necessary components of fetal anatomy in a Limited Examination standard examination are listed in Box 1 and commonly A limited examination is performed when a specific can be obtained after approximately 18 weeks of gesta- question requires investigation. It does not replace a tion, although it may be possible to document normal standard examination. For example, a limited examina- structures before this time. Sometimes structures can tion in the second trimester or the third trimester could be difficult to visualize because of fetal size, position, be performed to confirm fetal heart activity in a patient and movement; maternal abdominal scars; increased experiencing vaginal bleeding or confirm placental loca- maternal abdominal wall thickness; and reduced amni- tion or to establish fetal presentation in a laboring otic fluid volume. When technical limitations result in patient. A limited examination also may be performed in suboptimal images, the nature of the limitations should any trimester to estimate amniotic fluid volume, evaluate be documented in the report; a follow-up examination the cervix, or assess embryonic or fetal viability. should be considered. Specialized Examination Box 1. Essential Elements of The components of the specialized examination are Standard Examination of Fetal Anatomy ^ more extensive than for a standard ultrasound examina- tion and are determined on a case-by-case basis. Also Head, Face, and Neck* referred to as a “detailed,” “targeted,” or “76811” ultra- Lateral cerebral ventricles sound examination, the specialized anatomic examina- Choroid plexus tion is performed when there is an increased risk of an anomaly based on the history, laboratory abnormalities, Midline falx or the results of the limited examination or the standard Cavum septum pellucidi examination (4). Other specialized examinations include Cerebellum fetal Doppler ultrasonography, biophysical profile, fetal Cisterna magna echocardiography, or additional biometric measure- Upper lip ments. Specialized examinations are performed by an operator with formal training in this area (4). Indications Chest for specialized examinations also include the possibility Heart of fetal growth restriction and multifetal gestation (5, 6). Four-chamber view Left and right ventricular outflow tracts First-Trimester Ultrasound Examination Indications. A first-trimester ultrasound examination Abdomen is performed before 14 0/7 weeks of gestation. Some Stomach (presence, size, and situs) indications for performing first-trimester ultrasound Kidneys examinations are listed in Box 2. Urinary bladder Imaging Parameters. An ultrasound examination may Umbilical cord insertion site into the fetal abdomen be performed either transabdominally or transvaginally. Umbilical cord vessel number If a transabdominal examination is inconclusive, a transvaginal scan or transperineal scan is recommended. Spine The following factors should be considered during the Cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral spine examination. Extremities The uterus, including the cervix, and the adnexa Legs and arms should be evaluated for the presence of a gestational sac and any adnexal pathology. If a gestational sac is seen, Fetal Sex its location should be documented. The gestational sac In multiple gestations and when medically indicated should be evaluated for the presence or absence of a *A measurement of the nuchal fold may be helpful during a specific yolk sac or embryo, and the crown–rump length of the gestational age interval to assess the risk of aneuploidy. embryo should be documented. The crown–rump length Data from the American College of Radiology. ACR-ACOG- is a more accurate indicator of gestational (menstrual) AIUM-SRU Practice parameter for the performance of obstetrical ultrasound. ACR, Diagnostic Radiology: Ultrasonography Practice age than the mean gestational sac diameter. Mean sac Parameters and Technical Standards, 2013. Amended 2014. diameter measurements are not recommended for esti- mating the due date (7). However, the mean gestational 2 Practice Bulletin No. 175 sac diameter may be recorded when an embryo is not Second- and Third-Trimester Ultrasound identified. Caution should be used in presumptively Examination diagnosing a gestational sac in the absence of a definite embryo or yolk sac. Without these findings, an intrauter- Indications. Ultrasonography can be beneficial in many ine fluid collection could represent a pseudogestational situations in the second and third trimesters. Indications sac associated with an ectopic pregnancy. for second- and third-trimester ultrasonography are Presence or absence of cardiac activity should be listed in Box 3. reported. The criteria for diagnosing nonviability in early Imaging Parameters for a Standard Fetal Examination. pregnancy have been revised to reduce false positive Transabdominal ultrasonography generally is used to results (8). An embryo should be visible by transvaginal assess the second- and third-trimester pregnancy, with ultrasonography with a mean gestational sac diameter of transvaginal ultrasonography added as needed. If a trans- 25 mm or greater. With transvaginal ultrasound exami- abdominal examination is inconclusive, a transvaginal nations, cardiac motion should be observed when the scan or transperineal scan is recommended. This may embryo is 7 mm or greater in length. If an embryo less be especially useful in imaging the fetal brain structures than 7 mm in length is seen without cardiac activity, a when the head lies deep within the maternal pelvis or subsequent ultrasound examination at a later time may when a low-lying placenta is obscured by shadowing. be needed to assess the presence or absence of cardiac Fetal cardiac activity, fetal number, and fetal presenta- activity. Fetal number should be reported. Amnionicity tion should be reported. Any abnormal heart rates or and chorionicity should be documented, to the extent rhythms should be reported. An abnormal finding on possible,