Ernest Deroche Sr.
December 16, 2008
Whitney Nicole "Black" Jones
December 18, 2008
Expectant parents have a new tool to view their future bundle of joy. Ochsner St. Anne Women’s Clinic in Raceland recently acquired 4-D ultrasound technology manufactured by Philips Medical Systems.
The 4-D ultrasound allows parents to see more lifelike images of the baby over traditional two-dimensional scans.
“Everybody is amazed. It’s almost like you see what your baby is going to look like before it’s born,” said Daniele Kitchen, a sonographer at St. Anne. “With the four-dimensional images, it’s all live pictures of the baby. You can see the baby in motion. You see really memorable things like the baby sucking its thumb, touching the forehead with the foot.”
The best time to do the 4-D scan is between 28 and 32 weeks, according to Kitchen. By that time, the baby is more developed but still has room to move around the womb.
Ultrasound sessions do not go any longer than 30 minutes. Between six to eight patients a week schedule appointments for the new ultrasound so far, Kitchen said.
St. Anne radiology technician Jontrell Fuller got to observe her twin boys, which are due in March. She definitely recommends expecting mothers undergo the 4-D ultrasound scan.
“You feel closer to your baby, or babies in my case. It also brought me closer to my faith,” Fuller said. “The experience made me excited and just wish the babies were here already. I did the regular ultrasound, and it just looks like an alien. But when I saw the little facial features – the nose, the eyes, the mouth – it looks like a real baby.”
The 4-D ultrasound is not for medical purposes and does not take the place of a complete diagnostic ultrasound.
“We still use the two-dimensional ultrasound to do checkups on the baby,” Kitchen said. “The doctors don’t review the 4-D images at all. It’s just for portraits of the baby, memories and enjoyment. Insurance does not pay for this.”
The clinic offers two Super Peek 4-D ultrasound packages – $165 for expectant mothers carrying one and $219 for those expecting twins. Both packages include a 20- to 30-minute session, color images of the baby burned onto CD, printed black and white photos of the baby and gender determination, if requested.
The number of pictures taken by the sonographer varies depending on how cooperative the baby is.
“If the baby is in a good position and the hands aren’t in the way of the face, I get at least 15, but I usually snap the whole time,” Kitchen said. “I had one this morning that had the arms in front its face. The baby was curled up, and the toe was stuck on the forehead. It was like the baby was hiding. It was very difficult to see the baby’s face.”
St. Anne would not disclose how much the machine cost. Ochsner Health System bought 4-D ultrasound machines for many of its over 40 locations.
“The doctors wanted to upgrade the (existing) machines. They felt that was something extra that would help with patient satisfaction,” Kitchen said. “(The 4-D ultrasound) gives patients the enjoyment and opportunity to see the baby before it is born.”
Ochsner St. Anne sonographer Daniele Kitchen administers a 4-D ultrasound on hospital radiology technician Jontrell Fuller. The 4-D view gave Fuller, who is expecting twin boys in March, a closer view of her babies. * Photo courtesy of OCHSNER ST. ANNE WOMEN’S CLINIC
