ULTRASOUND DURING PREGNANCY - A DISCUSSION

Prenatal screening by ultrasound is increasing in the United States. I n 1990, 52 percent of mothers who had live births received ultrasound, compared with 48 percent in 1989 (Monthly Vital Stat Rep 1993,42:2(S) :6). A recent multicenter, randomized study of 15,151 low-risk pregnan t women, conducted by the Routine Antenatal Diagnostic Imaging With Ul trasound (RADIUS) Study Group, reported no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between women who received no ultrasound scan and w omen who received two scans during pregnancy (N Engl J Med 1993;329:82 1-827). Ewigman et al concluded, ''The adoption of routine ultrasound screening in the United States would add considerably to the cost of c are in pregnancy, with no improvement in perinatal outcome.'' This int erview and discussion took place at the Tenth Birth Conference, Octobe r 31-November 1, 1992, in Boston. It was conducted by Max Allen, produ cer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and broadcast as part of a rad io program, ''Birth and Technology,'' on CBC Ideas, February 15, 1993.