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Nuchal
Translucency Scan (NT) £100.00
(Combined blood £150.00)
11 weeks - 13 weeks + 6 days
What
happens during the scan?
Before the scan starts our Specialist
Midwife will counsel you about the scan you are having,
making sure you have informed choice about the Nuchal
Screening. During the scan we will measure a small amount
of fluid at the back of the baby's neck called Nuchal
Translucency. This fluid extends from the back of the
head and neck into the upper back, and is seen on ultrasound
as a dark region between two bright white lines on 2d
ultrasound. We can measure this when the baby is lying
face up giving us a striking image of the baby's profile.
Using this measurement, alongside your age, and the length
of your baby from head to bottom (CRL or Crown Rump Length),
a risk is calculated to determine the likelihood of your
baby having a chromosomal abnormality like Downs Syndrome
or the medical term being Trisomy 21.
We like to perform the Nuchal Translucency scan during
this specific time because after the baby measures more
than 84mm or 13 weeks + 6 days the fluid starts to become
absorbed back into the baby's system or becomes processed
through the baby’s lymphatic system.
Remember
our sonographer is also a registered qualified midwife,
so any questions you may have regarding your pregnancy,
she will be happy to help answer!
Will
this scan be useful for anything else?
Other checks that we can do at the
time of the scan are;
Confirm Estimated Date of Delivery (EDD)
The very best time to date your pregnancy is between 11
weeks & 13 weeks + 6 days.
Also during this scan we will check the anatomy that can
be seen at this stage which is the brain, face, stomach,
cord insertion, bladder, arms, hands, legs & feet,
we will share this information with you during the scan
& will check the heart is beating as well as listen
to the sound of this, this may be the first time you have
heard your baby's heart beating.
How
accurate is the Screening?
Nuchal
Translucency Screening (scan) alone is approximately 80%
sensitive.
Can I get a higher sensitivity?
Yes, alongside the
scan we can take a small amount of your blood from your
arm. We can test this to see the amount of Free Beta hGC
(human Gonadotrophin Chorionic) & PAPP-A (Pregnancy
Associated Plasma Protein A) - This allows an increased
sensitivity to 90%.
If you find that your Adjusted Risk factor is less then
1:250 then you may wish to peruse a more definite answer.
What
if I have a high risk?
If the calculation gives you an
increased risk, you may be happy to continue without further
investigation or you may feel you want a more definite
answer. In this case we can refer directly for an invasive
test, (usually Chorionic Villus Sampling, CVS) this will
be carried out at a specialist centre (we refer to Kings
College Hospital or The
Fetal Medicine Foundation Harley St London).
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) involves the examination
of placenta. The reason for this is that both the baby
and placenta (afterbirth) originate from the same cells
and so the chromosomes present in the cells of the placenta
are the same as those of the baby.
The advantage of an invasive test is that you get a definite
answer which is 100% right. The disadvantage is that the
test carries a 1:100 risk of causing a miscarriage, this
means for every 100 CVS performed 1 pregnancy will go
on to miscarry regardless of the chromosomal outcome of
the test. This will be fully discussed at the time of
your scan.
Apeekaboo
Imaging is licensed by and affiliated with The
Fetal Medicine Foundation and as such only use software
designed & researched by The Fetal Medicine Foundation.
Please
note the above price is based on a single gestation pregnancy.
Please add £50.00 to the price if your are expecting
twins.
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