Biological safety of diagnostic sonography

Abstract

Diagnostic insonation is generally considered to be safe during pregnancy as cumulative experience and epidemiological investigations have failed to demonstrate any causally related adverse effects in the exposed population since its introduction over 40 years ago. Over the decades prenatal utilization of diagnostic ultrasonography has continued to expand [1], According to the National Vital Statistics, approximately 2.7 million mothers comprising 68% of those who had live births were exposed to diagnostic ultrasound in 2002 in the United States [2]. This represents a 42% increase since 1989 when about 50% of the mothers with live births underwent sonographic scanning. Such a magnitude of exposure requires continuing concern regarding its safety as it has long been recognized that ultrasound exposure can affect biological systems under certain circumstances. © 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.