During your second trimester, you can have a fetal echocardiogram to check the health of your baby’s heart. Led by Daryoush Jadali, MD, Perinatal Diagnostic Center & Women's Ultrasound, in Thousand Oaks, West Hills, Mission Hills, and Ventura, California, provides state-of-the-art fetal echocardiogram services to expectant mothers from throughout Los Angeles. Call Perinatal Diagnostic Center & Women's Ultrasound to schedule your appointment today.
A fetal echocardiogram is a special type of ultrasound that creates images and videos of your unborn baby’s heart.
Perinatal Diagnostic Center and Ultrasound employs a specialist physician to provide and interpret fetal echocardiograms. The physician looks for signs of congenital defects in the walls and valves of your baby’s heart and monitors their blood flow.
In many cases, a standard fetal ultrasound shows enough information about your baby’s heart. However, Dr. Jadali may recommend a fetal echocardiogram if your ultrasound didn’t provide enough information or if it revealed an abnormal heartbeat. Other reasons you might need a fetal echocardiogram include:
If the Perinatal Diagnostic Center and Ultrasound team feels that there is any risk for heart irregularities, they recommend a fetal echocardiogram to collect more information about your baby’s heart.
Fetal echocardiograms are noninvasive and only take around 30 minutes. The test is similar to a routine pregnancy ultrasound.
You recline on a table and lift your shirt to expose your belly. Your technician applies a gel to your skin, which helps the sound waves travel through your body and reduces friction so the transducer — a handheld device that directs the ultrasound waves through your body — can glide smoothly over your skin.
As the technician moves the transducer over your abdomen, sound waves move through your body and bounce back off your organs and tissue. The transducer picks up the returning waves, and the echocardiogram machine converts the waves into images or videos.
The fetal echocardiogram specialist at Perinatal Diagnostic Center and Ultrasound studies those images and videos of your baby’s heart, examining them for any signs of irregularity.
If your fetal echocardiogram shows any abnormalities, you may need additional testing, and Dr. Jadali refers you to specialists who can treat and manage your baby’s condition both before and after they’re born.
Call Perinatal Diagnostic Center and Ultrasound to make an appointment today.