真鍋 敦¹, 秦 利之¹, 岡田 早苗², 青木 昭和¹, 秦 幸吉¹, 宮崎 康二¹

Atsushi MANABE¹, Toshiyuki HATA¹, Sanae OKADA², Showa AOKI¹, Koukichi HATA¹, Kouji MIYAZAKI¹

¹島根医科大学医学部産科婦人科学教室, ²島根医科大学医学部附属病院産科婦人科外来

¹Department of Obstretics and Gynecology Shimane Medical University, ²Outpatient Department of Obstretics and Gynecology Shimane Medical University Hospital

キーワード : Feto-maternal relationship, Normal fetus, Questionnaire, Three-dimensional ultrasonography

Because it provides the most realistic images of the fetus in utero, we used three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound to determine whether or not 3-D imaging of the fetus could improve the feto-maternal relationship. We visualized 71 normal fetuses, from the first to the third trimester of pregnancy, using 3-D ultrasonography with a specially developed 3.5 MHz 3-D abdominal transducer. A questionnaire was given to the 71 pregnant women so studied, and 54 (76%) of them responded. Good images were obtained from 35 (65%) of the respondents and were most readily obtainable from those 20 to 29 years of age (77%) and those who had not reached their twentieth week of gestation (82%). None complained of pain during 3-D ultrasound examination. Fifty (93%) respondents indicated that they would want to be examined by 3-D ultrasonography when they carry their next child. This study suggests that fetal 3-D ultrasonography has a positive effect on the feto-matermal relationship.