Can it save lives — or cause unnecessary anguish? Both, it seems. Here are two sides of the heated debate on the 20-week prenatal scan
While some argue that the occasional erroneous scan can be a source of deep — and needless — anguish and worry revealing a plethora of “problems” in various organs others opine that for the small percentages of cases where a treatable problem is detected the screening saves lives.
Dr. Hava-Yael Schreiber for one is a fierce medical proponent of doing the scan.
“There are many prenatal tests I don’t recommend” says the renowned Jerusalem ob-gyn and senior staff doctor at Bikur Cholim Hospital. “As a frum woman I won’t send patients for tests that we can do nothing about — for example the blood test that checks for Down syndrome. But when it comes to the 20-week scan there is so much that can be done.”
Once a defect is discovered there are four possible ways the knowledge can help explains Dr. Michael Nadjari director of the ultrasound unit in the ob-gyn department at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center. It can help determine the need for in utero treatment for certain defects; help determine the type of birth that will take place (i.e. natural vs. Cesarean); c) help choose which hospital to go to for the birth; and d) help plan a treatment protocol for immediately after birth.
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