Fetal Echocardiogram Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay (Essay Sample)

Fetal Echocardiogram
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Introduction
Congenital Heart Disease is the leading cause of death from congenital anomalies. Thankfully, advances in ultrasound technology have improved the ability to diagnose congenital heart diseases prior to the birth of a child. Echography has proven as a practical exam, which is non-invasive, easy to carry out that is sensitive and specific. Through echocardiography, it is possible to visuals the structure of the heart, such as the four-chamber view, pulmonary trunk, three-vessel view, and aortic root, which creates a more subtle approach, allowing for early intervention of the anomaly, thereby reducing child mortality (Moorthy, 2000). A fetal echocardiogram can be performed through an abdominal or transvaginal ultrasound. While both tests have proved to be reliable in detecting congenital anomalies in the fetus, they differ on the ultrasound imaging technique, quality of the image and the specific limitations they have.
In both procedures, a transducer is used to pick up ultrasonic sounds waves from the fetus, which are then send out to a computer, and interpreted to produce an image of the structures of the heart. However, the procedures differ in the placement of the transducer. In abdominal ultrasound, the transducer is glided over a gel, that is applied on the abdomen, to create an image of the heart. On the hand, during a transvaginal ultrasound, the transducer is placed into the vagina and allowed to rest on the back of the vagina to create an image (Lee & Won, 2013).