Department Of fetal medicine

Foetal medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the care of the foetus (or foetuses) and mother. All-round growth and well-being of foetus including diagnosis and disorder management are taken care of. Counseling support for the parents is also done in this branch of medicine.

There are various services offered by Kasturi Hospitals. The Foetal Medicine Services are:

• Foetal Ultrasound

 Fetal Ultrasound is the procedure done to see different parts of the developing fetus like the head, heart, spine, etc., with the help of sonography that is done at various phases of development.

• NT Scan

A Nuchal Translucency Scan is done when the pregnancy is between 11 weeks and 13 weeks.

• TEFA Scan Anomaly scan –(TIFFA)
• This scan is taken with clarity in detail during the pregnancy weeks of 18-22. Advanced 3D 4D sonography – 3D/4D sonography

The 3D view of the moving fetus is captured and this technology is considered one of the best innovations in the ultrasounds field.Genetic Sonogram

If someone is at high risk on a biochemical screening test, this genetic sonogram is performed.Fetal ECHO

Fetal ECHO is a specialized scan for the details of your baby’s heart. This scan usually searches for heart defects between 18 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.Fetal growth and Doppler scan

This scan is usually done between 28 to 36 weeks of pregnancy.Prenatal Screening

• They perform some blood tests with an ultrasound between 11 weeks and 13 weeks for 6 days.
• Aneuploidy Scan/Down’s Syndrome Screening

Down syndrome is a risk to a baby that is posed to every pregnant woman. This risk either can be elevated or reduced by this screening.Double marker test

Double marker tests include measurement of free B-HCG and PAPA-A in maternal blood.

•  Non-invasive cell-free fetal DNA test (NIPT)
• During pregnancy some fetal DNA crosses the placenta and comes to the mother’s blood stream. In this test generally this fetal DNA is separated from the mother’s blood and a chromosomal evaluation of the baby is done.
• Quadruple marker
• It includes maternal blood measurements of Inhibin, B HCG, estradiol, and alpha-fetoprotein. This is generally combined with a genetic sonogram.
• Preeclampsia Screening
• Preeclampsia is pregnancy-induced high blood pressure and is one of the most common life-threatening conditions during pregnancy.
• Invasive Procedures and fetal therapy
• Chorionic Villi Sampling (CVS)

CVS involves the examination of placental tissue (chorionic villi).

• Amniocentesis

Amniocentesis involves drawing a small amount of amniotic fluid from the mother’s womb, and surrounding the baby under ultrasound guidance this is generally performed between 17-22 weeks after a detailed ultrasound of the baby.

• Cordocentesis

Also known as fetal blood sampling (FBS) and PUBS (percutaneous blood sampling), a method that includes a collection of fetal blood directly from the umbilical cord under ultrasound guidance.

• Fetal reduction

It’s generally done in multiple pregnancies when there are 3 or more fetuses. This procedure is done at 11 weeks of pregnancy.

• Fetal Blood Transfusion

This is a highly specialized area of medical practice requiring close collaboration between experts in fetal medicine, Haematology & Blood transfusion, and rapid access to blood counting.

• Genetic Counselling

Genetic counseling gives information and support to people who are or have at risk for genetic disorders. The counseling may be for an expecting mother or for a family member, or may get it when someone is planning to have a baby.