How Safe Is the Use of Ultrasound in Prenatal Medicine? Facts and Contradictions. Part 1 – Ultrasound-Induced Bioeffects

Abstract

The “Ordinance on Protection Against the Harmful Effects of Non-Ionizing Radiation in Human Applications” will go into effect at the beginning of 2021 1. § 10 of this ordinance prohibits non-medical fetal ultrasound exposure thereby resulting in uncertainty, particularly among affected patients, with respect to the generally accepted theory regarding the lack of ultrasound side effects. Although not a single study has shown a detrimental effect on fetal or child development following exposure to ultrasound, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety has justified the ban with the purely hypothetical possibility of an unidentified side effect. The first part of the following study shows which ultrasound-induced biophysical effects are known and which dose-dependent threshold values must be taken into consideration. In particular, the study focuses on the well-researched heat effect with some in vivo measurements in humans showing that the actual temperature increase is less than the theoretically calculated values. The planned second part of this study will discuss the non-thermal effects and present the most important epidemiological studies.

History of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynaecology from 1971 to 2021 on occasion of the 50 years anniversary of EFSUMB

“…The question whether US in pregnancy is harmful has been raised many times since the introduction of US in prenatal diagnosis [210,211]. Increasing numbers of experimental studies and publications on this topic have resulted in the EFSUMB setting up a permanent committee for reviewing and evaluating all these studies.…”

“…During this process, the patient does not come in contact with the US transducer and does not even have to be present [210]. For a detailed overview on safety aspects of diagnostic US see the publications of Dudwiesus and Merz [211,215].…”

Fetal Assessment in Pregnancy (Indication and Methodology for Fetal Monitoring in a Low-risk Population). Guideline of the DGGG, DEGUM, OEGGG and SGGG (S3-Level, AWMF Registry No. 015/089, February 2023)

“…Bis heute gibt es keinen Hinweis, dass die abgegebene Ultraschallenergie des Doppler-Schallkopfes einen schädigenden Einfluss auf den Fetus hat 17 .…”

Der Staffelstab wird weitergereicht

“…All these developments have been able to be continuously demonstrated by corresponding publications in UIM/EJU. Articles on the safety of ultrasound in the unborn child have also been given appropriate attention [25,26]. In addition, the journal also published CME articles, which are important for education and training.…”

“…All diese Entwicklungen konnten durch entsprechende Publikationen in UIM/EJU kontinuierlich aufgezeigt werden. Auch Beiträge zur Sicherheit von Ultraschall beim Ungeborenen nahmen entsprechenden Raum ein 25 26 . Hinzu kamen die für die Aus- und Weiterbildung wichtigen CME-Beiträge.…”