ABSTRACT

Ultrasound screening in pregnancy has been and continues to be a matter of controversy. For the past 20 years, the role of second-trimester ultrasound screening has been debated. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has not endorsed routine ultrasound as a standard of care, though second-trimester ultrasound is widely practiced. In 1989, the argument was made that ‘prenatal informed consent for a sonogram be accepted as an indication for the prudent use of obstetric ultrasonography performed by qualified personnel’1. Based on available data, we believe that this argument can be extended to the use of ultrasound screening for aneuploidy in the first trimester.