Monday, 17 December 2012

NT Scan

NT, Nuchal Translucency, is the term we use for the  collection of fluid under skin of the baby during 12-14 weeks. Many babies with chromosomal abnormalities, cardiac defects and some genetic syndromes have increased measurements of NT. This is the critical period for the sonographer or doctor to detect especially for the presence of Down Syndrome.


Normal Organ should be observed under Ultrasound


Normal thickness for NT (< 3 mm)

Increased in NT thickness (> 3mm) & absence of Nasal Bone.


Although NT scan is a sensitive screening scan to pick up cases of thickened NT as well as the presence of the nasal bone, it's not a definitive tool to give final diagnosis, and the final diagnosis often required an extra step called amniocentesis (to extract the amniotic fluid to access the DNA to run specific testing.)

Sources: http://www.fetalmedicine.com/fmf/training-certification/certificates-of-competence/11-13-week-scan/nuchal/