Patient's question:
I am six months pregnant! I had a color ultrasound at five months! I have never had a Down syndrome screening! Do I still need to do this test? I want to wait until I have a 4D ultrasound! I would like to ask if the Down syndrome screening and 4D color ultrasound are the same?Doctor's answer:
Currently, many pregnant women are confused about what 4D ultrasound and Down syndrome screening are, thinking that both are structural anomaly screenings and that doing one of them is sufficient. The diagnostic scope of 4D ultrasound is broader than that of Down syndrome screening. It can determine fetal gestational age, analyze fetal development, and screen for fetal lethal anomalies (anencephaly, encephalocele, spina bifida, etc.). Down syndrome screening is primarily used to identify high-risk populations for Down syndrome. Both 4D ultrasound and Down syndrome screening are important methods for prenatal structural anomaly screening, but their differences are significant. The biggest difference between the two lies in the scope of structural anomaly screening.