Where it all began – Part 2

Last time, we left our ultrasound journey before the potential to be used as an investigative tool during pregnancy had been realised. To read this article please click here, and be sure to visit ‘A short History of the development of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology’ by Dr Joseph Woo for more details.

The as yet unexplored use for ultrasound during pregnancy began to be examined in the United States of America towards the end of the 1940s, by determining the presence of gallstones in humans thanks to George Döring Ludwig. Dr Woo has written more about Ludwig for those who wish to read it. The possibility of ultrasonography being used in this manner opened up the gates to similar possible uses for ultrasound – including during pregnancy.

I was very interested to learn that a use for ultrasonography had only begun to be researched fairly recently, with 1966 becoming ‘bookmarked’ as the year that research into using ultrasound during pregnancy really took off world-wide. However, it should be noted that research into using ultrasound in this field had also been ongoing a couple of years prior to this. A number of groups had described detection of a heartbeat using different types of ultrasound, including M-mode and A-mode, yet it wasn’t until 6 years later that ultrasound could be used reliably as a method by which to detect the presence of a heartbeat from 7 weeks of gestation. Ultrasound was also shown to be beneficial in helping to flag any problems with the foetus prior to birth. To this day, ultrasound imaging is almost synonymously associated with pregnancy across a wide range of species, thanks to the detection of a foetal heartbeat.

The next milestone in the ability of ultrasonography to be used during pregnancy arrived with the generation of ‘Real-time scanners’. As the name suggests, these scanners are able to show the operator what is happening at that moment in time i.e. whatever the probe is sending the ultrasound waves towards is what you will see on the screen, and greatly revolutionised the way that we use ultrasound.

I think it’s time to end our history lesson here for this week…but please don’t fret, as there is lots more still to come, including more on M-mode, and I predict what ultrasonography has in store for us in the future. Be sure to visit the website in a couple of weeks to find out more!