Ultrasound in fetal diagnosis and therapy.

Ultrasonic diagnosis is indispensable in perinatal medicine. The applications are; 1) diagnosis of early pregnancy, 2) diagnosis of fetal life, 3) diagnosis of pregnancy weeks by fetal crown rump length, 4) evaluation of fetal growth by biparietal diameter, femur length, abdominal size, or estimated fetal weight, 5) detection of early abnormalities in blighted ovum, fetal death, hydatidiform mole, ectopic pregnancy, etc., 6) diagnosis of fetal anomalies, e.g. anencephaly, hydrocephaly, neck hygraoma, diaphragmatic hernia, congenital heart disease, intestinal obstruction, renal anomalies, obstructive uropathy, etc., 7) diagnosis of fetal diseases, e.g. hydrops fetalis, 8) diagnosis of placenta previa, hydramnios, oligohydramnios, cord coiling, excessive cord twisting, 9) detection and prediction of fetal compromise by fetal and uterine blood flow velocity wave forms, 10) further precise diagnosis by transvaginal sonography, 11) interventional ultrasound in genetic diagnosis with amniocentesis and chorionic villi sampling, fetal blood sampling with cordocentesis, 12) detection of fetal hypoxia by ultrasonic fetal monitor, fetal actocardiogram, and ultrasonic Doppler flowmetry.