Birth defect fears as mothers miss out on second scan

Published on Wednesday 14 January 2009 21:58

THREE of Scotland's biggest health boards are still not giving all pregnant women two ultrasound scans – nearly five years after guidance recommended it as standard practice.

In February 2004, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) said that expectant mothers should routinely receive a scan at about 12 weeks and another at about 20 weeks.

But three health boards – Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire and Highland – are still not offering the second scan to all women, The Scotsman has learned.

Lothian only recently started to offer the service, after missing an initial target of August, while the two scans have been offered to women in other parts of Scotland for some time.

Campaigners said women were frustrated by the variations and urged greater consistency across the country.

The 20-week scan – also known as an anomaly scan – can reveal problems that could not have been found at the earlier screening, such as brain abnormalities and problems with heart, bowel, kidneys, limbs and cleft lip.

If a problem is found, women can opt for an abortion, but early detection can also mean doctors are prepared to treat a child straight after birth or even when the baby is still in the womb.

Many women have opted to pay privately for the second scan, which costs more than 100, to give them peace of mind.

In the three areas where the NHS QIS guidance has still not been implemented – and may not be for some time – a shortage of staff trained to use the ultrasound equipment has been blamed. These boards are giving scans to women at high risk of abnormalities, ahead of rolling out the service more widely.

Belinda Phipps, the chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, said: "It is very frustrating for women that there is not consistency across the country.

"The guidance is there for a reason and it should be implemented."

She said that, while the second scan was not vital, women should be able to have one, as it did provide reassurance about the health of their baby.

Professor Alan Cameron, a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said while the scans did not pick up every abnormality, they could help to find problems to allow for early treatment.

"It means that the baby can be born in the place best able to care for their condition," he said.

"In some cases, we can give a baby treatment in the womb, such as where a blockage in the bladder is detected."

The three health boards concerned all said the second scan would be routinely offered from later this year.

The Scottish Government said: "From the end of this year, it will be mandatory for all boards to offer a 20-week foetal anomaly scan. In areas where the 20-week scan is not (yet] routinely offered, patients are offered this scan if it is judged to be clinically necessary."

FACTS

&#149 ULTRASOUND was developed 50 years ago by a team in Glasgow.

&#149 Pioneers Tom Brown, Professor John MacVicar and Professor Ian Donald, published the world's first paper on ultrasound scanning in pregnancy in 1958.

&#149 The technique uses very high frequency sound waves that are passed into the body. The reflected echoes are analysed to build-up a picture of the internal organs or a foetus.

&#149 Ultrasound during pregnancy can help to determine the age, size and growth rate of a foetus and also detect multiple pregnancies.

&#149 It can also be possible to detect the sex of the baby, though not all hospitals will reveal this to the parents.

&#149 Specialist staff known as ultrasonographers are required to analyse the results of scans.