When a mother finds out she is pregnant it is a wonderful experience. Most people are excited to see their first “picture” of their baby, the ultrasound. Even more exciting is getting an ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. But ultrasounds are useful for more than just getting that first image of the fetus or finding out whether it is a boy or a girl. While it is something most parents dread finding out when pregnant, an ultrasound can also detect a birth defect. There are many different birth defects that can be detected by an ultrasound during pregnancy like Spina Bifida, Down syndrome, and abnormalities with the heart and lower urinary tract, and the importance of detecting them with an ultrasound is shown in the benefits of discovering the birth defect early, and the options it gives the parents after discovering the birth defect.
A neural tube is a tube that begins developing in an embryo that eventually become the spinal cord. A neural tube defect occurs at the beginning of pregnancy, often within the first month, when the neural tube does not close properly. This will cause, later on in development, a hole in the spinal cord. The most common type of this defect is called Spina Bifida. There are different types of Spina Bifida, some more mild than others. The most severe type of Spina Bifida, called Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele, causes many problems including partial or complete paralysis below the defected area of the spine, urinary and bowel issues, and excess fluid on the brain, which can cause learning or intellectual disabilities. The mildest type of Spina Bifida, Spina bifida occulta, does not cause any disabilities, but still presents an opening in the spinal cord (How do health care, 2012).
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... with down syndrome. (n.d.). Down Syndrome Education
International. Retrieved from http://www.down-syndrome.org/information/family/ overview/?page=3 Lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO). (2012, January). The Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia. Retrieved from http://www.chop.edu/service/fetal-diagnosis-and- treatment/fetal-diagnoses/lower-urinary-tract-obstruction-luto.html Nuchal translucency test. (2012, August 25). Medicine Plus. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007561.htm Treatment for spina bifida (myelomeningocele). (2012, September). The Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia. Retrieved from http://www.chop.edu/service/fetal-diagnosis-and- treatment/fetal-diagnoses/spina-bifida.html What is down syndrome? (n.d.). National Down Syndrome Society. Retrieved from
https://www.ndss.org/Down-Syndrome/What-Is-Down-Syndrome/
As an ultrasound technician/sonographer I will have the ability to see dangerous defects within the human anatomy and begin a lifelong profession with many benefits. The Ultrasound was first invented in the early 1900’s and was surprisingly not used to produce photos of a fetus. In 1917 Paul Langen a marine life scientist used a form of ultrasound equipment in his attempt to detect submarines. After many failed attempts at using high frequency sound waves Dr. Ian Donald and his team in Glasgow, Scotland invented the first ultrasound machine in 1957. Dr. Donald even tested his machine on patients within a year of completing the invention, by the late 1950’s ultrasounds became routine in Glasgow hospitals.
I have always been fascinated with the medical field ever since I was little, my first choice for electives were always health science and anatomy classes. After my cousin, Deanna, had her first child and receive her first ultrasound, I knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. The ultrasound technician had made her feel so comforted and just made the entire experience enjoyable for everyone; I’m eager to be able to start my life with a job that I know I will love. Anytime that I meet someone who is in the field themselves, I always ask questions and listen to what they do throughout the day to get some real insight on what being a technician really entails.
Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. It is a birth defect in which a developing baby's spinal cord fails to develop properly. The term Spina bifida comes from Latin and means "split" or "open" spine. This disorder occurs when the fetus is growing in the womb and its spine doesn’t form correctly. Some of the vertebrae don’t close to make their normal ring shapes around the spinal cord. This defect happens at the end of the first month of pregnancy, when a baby's spine and spinal cord are developing. Causes of Spina Bifida Causes that cause this disorder are low levels of the vitamin folic acid during pregnancy. Not having enough folic acid in the diet before and during early pregnancy can increase a woman's risk of Spina bifida and possibility of other neural tube defects. A high fever during pregnancy may increase a woman's chance of having a baby with Spina bifida. Some evidence suggests that genes may be a cause of Spina Bifida, but most babies born with Spina bifida have no family history of the condition. Also, women with epilepsy
Tay-sachs disease is perhaps a very dramatic disease because it strikes most keenly at small children and babies. The disease is very rare and fatal. Tay-sachs is a genetic disorder in which harmful amounts of fatty lipids, known as ganglioside GM2, is built up in the nerve cells in the brain. Infants who with Tay-sachs disease, who are not carriers, appear to develop normally for the first few months since their birth, but as the nerve cells become swollen with the fatty material, a severe decline of mental and physical abilities occurs. The child then becomes deaf, blind, and unable to swallow.
There are many disabilities that affect the Musculoskeletal System. One disability is Spina Bifida, which is a series of spinal cord defects caused by abnormal fetal development. We don’t know all the causes of spina bifida. Genetics and the environment may play a role in causing spina bifida. Spina bifida can range from mild to extreme. Some people may have little to no disability while others people may be limited in the way they move. Some people may even be paralyzed or unable to walk or move parts of their body. Although, most people affected by spina bifida lead full and productive lives. There are three types which include myelomeningocele, occulta, and meningocele. Depending on the classification there will be different characteristics and symptoms. It may be treated in different setting, with different potential treatment ideas.
The constantly growing field of medical technology has raised many questions especially pertaining to ethics. The mapping of the human genome, cloning technologies, stem cell research, and of course reproductive technology has caused some very real dilemmas over the role of the human decision in the creation and orientation of new life. Humans are able to accomplish amazing things in science, but at what cost? The ubiquitous nature of reproductive technology has caused a new discipline of reproductive ethics. One such dilemma is that of selective abortion due to sex preference. In this paper I will discuss the ethics of gendercide and sonography’s affect on this practice
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition marked by impaired muscle coordination and other disabilities, which causes damage to the brain before and during birth. Cerebral palsy is a static disorder of the brain, not a progressive disorder. This mean that the disorder or disease process will not get worse as time goes on. Nor are the motor disorders associated with cerebral palsy temporary. (Miller and Bachrach pg. 3) Cerebral Palsy affects the nervous system by having dysfunctions, in movements such as, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking. During the first 3 to 5 years of a child's life Cerebral Palsy occur because the baby's brain is still developing. (CP is one of the most common congenital (existing before birth or at birth) disorders of childhood). Spastic, athetoid, ataxic and dystonic are all different types of Cerebral Palsy. Majority of circumstances with children having CP are unknown, then again numerous results show problems during pregnancy in which the brain is damaged or doesn't develop normally. “This can be due to infections, maternal health problems, a genetic disorder, or something else that interferes with normal brain development.” Cerebral palsy is also caused by injuries and abnormalities of the brain; as the baby grows in the womb these problems occur. Some causes may lead to problems with brain development which include:
A career is a long time employment role which centers around the passion of ongoing goals that one wants to achieve.For my career, I will choose to become an Obstetric sonographer.Obstetric sonographers are people who perform ultrasounds on the pelvic region of female patients and fetuses.medical sonographers typically need to obtain an associate or bachelor's degree in sonography from a college or university. Basic skills that are required are to have solid technical skills for being able to function the equipment and getting practicable images, the physical skills of good hand-eye coordination to move appliances on the patient’s body in correlation to what appears on the screen, endurance to stand for long periods of time and the capacity
defects. They will remain in intensive care for weeks or months after their birth. Their
if there is fetal anomaly and no clear risk of health problems for the mother. In one case,
Obstetric Ultrasound -- a Comprehensive Guide to Ultrasound Scans in Pregnancy. Mar. 2006. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. .
Spina bifida occulta causes problems such as foot deformity, weakness and reduced sensation of the legs, change in hand function, and bladder infections. This happens because the spinal cord becomes tethered into the backbone (Shine, 2011). The second type of spina bifida is spina bifida meningocele. This is where the protective membranes around the spinal cord push through the opening in the vertebrate. This is the rarest type and it is very easy to spot. Common symptoms of this type are a pain in the back, a spinal mass, paralyzed legs, or bladder dysfunction. A person would be able to notice this type on their back because there is a sac on the spine covered by a thin layer of skin. Potential problems of this type of spina bifida can be partial paralysis, urinary and bowel dysfunction, and excess fluid in the brain. The fluid in the brain is called hydrocephalus. The last type of spina bifida is myelomeningocele, also called open spina bifida. This is what people actually mean when they refer to spina bifida. Myelomeningocele is where the baby's spinal canal
There is also a high-resolution ultrasound scanning that can detect chromosomal and physical abnormalities in the first trimester as opposed to the second trimester. A technology such as this can create many ethical problems. Mcfadyen describes the biggest problem as being informed consent. “They may believe that it will provide information only about gestational age and be unaware of the range of abnormalities that can be detected. Recent research suggests that many women are not told beforehand of the first scan’s potential to detect fetal anomalies.”
Generally speaking, lower back pain during pregnancy isn't a cause for concern, but it's still something that should be checked into, as in some cases it might be a warning sign of a serious abdominal problem, including miscarriage. So, before you panic, read through this information. It should help you determine whether or not your condition is normal.
Spina bifida, which literally means “cleft spine,” is characterized by the incomplete development of the brain, spinal cord, and/or meninges, the protective covering around the brain and spinal cord. Meningomyelocele is the most severe type Spina Bifida, and requires surgery as treatment. It happens when parts of the spinal cord and nerves come through the open part of the spine. It causes nerve damage and decreased motor function. . Despite aggressive intervention, nearly 14% of all Spina Bifida neonates do not survive past 5 years of age, with the mortality rising to 35% in those with symptoms of brainstem dysfunction secondary to the Arnold–Chiari malformation (Oakeshott 2003).