Obesity

Abdominal obesity limits the technical quality of the ultrasound examination.

Patient position

• In obstetrics and gynecology, most exams are performed with the woman in a semi-recumbent position. A padded table and pillows provide reasonable comfort. It is desirable to be able to elevate the head of the bed because many pregnant women are unable to lie flat, especially later in pregnancy. Others will require pillows underneath their knees or behind their back to achieve a comfortable position.
• Transvaginal ultrasound examinations are done with the woman in a lithotomy position. Alternatively, a cushion can be placed under the buttocks to raise the pelvis, while the lower extremities are frog-legged.
• Almost all obstetrical and gynecologic sonography is done in real-time, freely moving the probe to view each structure from multiple orientations and then freezing and storing the desired images.
• A written ultrasound report should be included in the patient’s medical record, and sent to the referring clinician in a timely fashion.

Three-dimensional Sonography (3D Ultrasound)

Three-dimensional sonography refers to a two-dimensional static display of three-dimensional data. Special probes and software are needed to acquire and render the images.

Four-dimensional Sonography (4D Ultrasound)

Four-dimensional sonography refers to three-dimensional images that can be viewed in real-time. It is also called dynamic three-dimensional sonography. It has been used to study the fetal heart, fetal movement, and fetal behavioral states.