Experts caution patients on the dangers of boutique fetal ultrasounds
A professional society representing radiographers in the United Kingdom is sounding the alarm on the dangers of prenatal ultrasounds conducted at “high-street clinics.”
The Society of Radiographers (SoR), which represents over 33,000 imaging professionals throughout the U.K., released a warning this week about the risks of allowing unregistered sonographers to carry out 3D fetal ultrasounds on expectant mothers. Due to the elective rather than diagnostic nature of these exams, operators are not required to complete formal training if the scans are done in privately owned clinics.
This, the society contends, is putting patients at risk.
“Healthy fetuses are being misdiagnosed as dead or malformed—and pregnant women are facing life-endangering situations—because high-street baby-scan clinics are offering ultrasound scans conducted by nonspecialists,” a news release on the organization’s website reads. “While anyone calling themselves a radiographer, a dietician, an art therapist or an occupational therapist must be qualified and registered with a regulatory body, anyone with an ultrasound machine can call themselves a sonographer.”
The announcement details several stories from licensed sonographers, who performed imaging exams on women referred to their facilities from boutique clinics. One scenario involved a woman who was nine weeks pregnant, told by an unlicensed ultrasound operator that her baby was malformed and the pregnancy no longer viable. When the woman went for a second opinion elsewhere, a licensed sonographer performed a new exam, revealing a "beautiful nine-week pregnancy with a heartbeat” and a baby that was “absolutely fine.”
Numerous accounts of these scenarios have prompted SoR to call for "sonographer" to become a protected title, with operators registered by an appropriate regulatory body, the same way as radiographers.
“With registration, no one would be able to call themselves a sonographer unless they were on that register. And if there was a problem or a complaint, the patient would be able to refer them to their regulatory body,” Katie Thompson, SoR president and a hospital sonographer, said in the announcement. “And if a complaint were made and the sonographer deemed unfit to practice, they would no longer be allowed to call themselves a sonographer. Registration protects the patient.”
Though the announcement is specific to the United Kingdom, certain loopholes in the U.S. also could put patients at risk. Similar to the U.K., facilities conducting diagnostic exams must have a licensed and registered sonographer perform the scan. However, privately owned businesses offering elective exams, such as the popular 3D fetal scans, do not require the presence of an appropriately qualified sonographer, as they're considered “nonmedical.” The requirements vary by state and the standards are inconsistent with those put forth by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends ultrasounds be utilized for medical purposes only, and that they should always be ordered by a physician and carried out by a trained and registered operator.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.