Prenatal Diagnostic Center

Prenatal Diagnostic Center

          Parents always wished for their child to be born healthy, without any physical or mental disabilities, and with sharp intellect. In the past, knowing whether a fetus had any abnormalities or not required waiting until the baby was born. This could result in significant economic losses, particularly in terms of emotional and psychological wellbeing for your parents and family.

 

          However, due to advances in modern science, it is now possible to diagnose abnormalities in a fetus before birth, both structural abnormalities visible using high-frequency sound waves and hidden ones like various diseases that could lead to physical or mental disabilities or even death shortly after birth.

 

          Prenatal diagnosis can provide your parents with confidence that their baby will be born healthy and without any serious risks to their health. If any abnormalities are detected, they can receive advice on options for managing their pregnancy and preparing for the baby's care to ensure the best possible outcome for their child.

 

The service provides counseling, recommendations, and diagnosis for the care of mothers and fetuses during pregnancy in relation to abnormalities and various diseases that may occur in the fetus during pregnancy. With advancements in genetics and high-frequency sound wave testing, doctors can diagnose almost all types of abnormalities in the fetus, including congenital disabilities, diseases caused by chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, and genetic diseases such as thalassemia and SLE, which are commonly found in Thai people. In addition, services are provided for the health and growth of the fetus during pregnancy, in cases where the mother has medical complications such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or toxic shock syndrome. The Prenatal Diagnosis Center at Vibhavadi Hospital provides diagnostic services before delivery, covering various issues, and provides services in the following stages:

 

1. Examination in the early stage of pregnancy (10-13 weeks) with high-frequency waves for checking the number of fetuses, the viability of the embryo, and screening for chromosomal abnormalities.
2. The second trimester of pregnancy (16-18 weeks) provides amniocentesis and blood sampling from the umbilical cord to analyze chromosomal abnormalities and genetic diseases such as thalassemia.
3. The second trimester of pregnancy (20-24 weeks) provides an anomaly scan using high-frequency sound waves to check for abnormalities in the fetus's organs, such as the heart, digestive system, cleft palate, brain, arms, and legs.
4. Four-dimensional sound wave testing is also conducted to examine the fetus's movements and internal organs in more detail.
5. During the third trimester of pregnancy (more than 28 weeks), tests are conducted to monitor the baby's growth and health, such as biophysical profile, amniotic fluid volume, and Doppler blood flow in the umbilical cord.
6. The baby's heart is also checked for abnormalities and to evaluate its functioning.

 

In addition, a baseline fetal anomaly scan is also performed to identify any abnormalities in the developing fetus during pregnancy.