Evolving applications
of first-trimester ultrasound

Thanks to advances in technology and increasing understanding of fetal development, it is now possible to assess fetal anatomy in the first trimester in some pregnancies

Dr. Timor-Tritsch is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York University School of Medicine and
Director of the Division of ObGyn Imaging at NYU Langone Medical Center
in New York City.

Dr. Gupta is a Fellow in Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York University School of Medicine in New York City.

The authors report no financial relationships relevant to this article.

In recent years, prenatal screening and testing have begun to shift from the second trimester to the first. Ultrasonographic evaluation—a large component of fetal testing—is also applied earlier in gestation to provide information to clinicians and patients about the integrity of the pregnancy. The shifting of the classic, “gold standard” anatomy scan to the first trimester was made possible by high-frequency transvaginal transducers and by greater understanding of the early signs of fetal pathology.

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