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Originally Posted by Senusret I
I really hope this isn't true....I've been scouring the web and so far, no "major" news sources have carried the story yet.
Question for the people who know survivors of this condition...can't this be detected via ultrasound?
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Even with advances in technology, ultrasounds can still miss issues in utero such as this. It depends on so many variables: the experience of the technician, the quality of the u/s image, the position and age of the fetus, etc...
Last year my niece was born with a defect called a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia where where diaphragm didn't close properly and some of her internal organs moved from her abdomen through the space in her diaphragm and into her chest cavity, inhibiting the growth of her lungs and pushing her heart over. Babies born with this condition have about a 50% survival rate. My sister and BIL had no idea anything was wrong until my niece was born--the one u/s they had showed everything as looking "normal." Other babies with CDH have been diagnosed in utero, though, through ultrasounds. It all just depends. Thankfully, my niece was able to have surgery a few days after she was born and is now a happy, thriving 13-month-old.
Most women do only get one u/s during their pregnancy -- usually around 18-22 weeks gestation, but even that can vary from OB to OB. For various reasons, I had 4 u/s during my pregnancy (one early on to check for a cyst, the level II at 21 weeks and two later to check growth).
Anyway, I hope it's not true.