Ultrascan Worry
QUESTION
Dear Ms Ultrasound,
I'm expecting my 5th child in June and have been told the baby's stomach is measuring quite big and that I have to have another scan at 32 weeks but thats all I was told.
My husband and I are very worried because this has never happened in the previous pregnancies and no one we know seems to know what it could be its a long time until the next scan.
Is there anything you could tell us about what may be the cause of this apart from this I've had no problems in this pregnancy so far
ANSWER
Hi There, You did not mention how far along you are or the exact stomach measurement, so I will just let you know a few things about the fetal stomach:
The fetal stomach should be identifiable by 9 weeks. Growth charts for the stomach in the 2nd and 3rd trimester have been put together. The range of dimensions for the stomach are quite large and variable. Despite the large range of size variability, there are still guidelines the Sonologist must follow.
When the measurements fall into the upper limits of normal or borderline enlargement and no other abnormalities are found, a follow up ultrasound will be scheduled after a growth period. Usually the follow up exam is normal in cases like this. It seems like you do fall into this category as they have scheduled a follow up ultrasound at 32 weeks..
The most common cause of an enlarged fetal stomach is something called Gastric Outlet Obstruction. Gastric means stomach.
There are two reasons why the stomach would be blocked. One is Pyloric Stenosis and the other is from a Membranous Antral Web.
This is a piece of tissue or membrane that blocks the stomach from emptying. The incidence of this congenital anomaly is 1 in 1 million live births!
If your baby does have this anomaly, there would have been an increased amount of amniotic fluid present on your ultrasound and you would be measuring large for your dates.
On occasion I have seen larger than normal fetal stomachs which are just fine. I feel like the your baby is most probably fine from what you have shared with me.
If after the next ultrasound there is more information you need clarification on just let me know.
With Regards,
-- Jane RDMS
Jane Foley
Jane Foley has worked as a Sonographer (Ultrasound Technologist) since 1979. Jane has lived and worked in many parts of the world including Saudi Arabia. She is a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer or RDMS. She pulls a wealth of information from her experience in the field of Radiology and her interactions with such a broad cross-section of cultures she has visited. She now makes her home on the island of Maui with her English husband, Michael.
