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2nd Trimester
MyLittleSweetPea
member
Level II Ultrasound and Genetic Appointment Questions???
MyLittleSweetPea
member
Our ultrasound on Friday showed a cyst on the baby's brain and a possible shadow on the heart so we are being referred for a level II sound. Because of the clinic I normally see is closely associated with the Mayo clinic which is relatively close, they are doing the ultrasound at Mayo this Friday.
For those of you that have had a level II ultrasound... what was different than a typical anatomy ultraound?
Also, we are meeting with a genetic counselor before the appointment. Is this typical or part of the super-thorough Mayo program?
Thanks for the info and keep the thoughts and prayers coming!
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Re: Level II Ultrasound and Genetic Appointment Questions???
I just had a Level II on Thursday for a 2-vessel cord. We had to go to UVA to have it done but to be totally honest, it wasn't any different than the one at my midwives' office. It only took them about 20 minutes to get all the measurements and then the specialist doc. came in to go over everything with us. I didn't meet with a genetic counselor though.
I was expecting a much longer ultrasound with an extended doc appt. but I guess every situation is different. Yours could be longer depending on exactly what they need to see.
One sidenote--the waiting room we waited in was the same as the L&D waiting room, which (needless to say) was extremely hard to be in--especially not knowing what kind of news we would get. If this is the case for the Mayo clinic (probably not), I highly suggest asking to wait somewhere else so your blood pressure doesn't shoot through the roof and you can keep your nerves in check.
I wish you the best and I'll be thinking of you. I know how hard it is to be faced with troublesome news. I truly hope you come away with a sense of relief and that everything will be just fine. Keep us posted.
I believe the genetic counselor is a part of any level II u/s. We saw one, she was very nice and knowledgeable. We are in no way a part of the Mayo Clinic!
The only difference I could see between the level II u/s and the regular level I was the person doing the u/s. THe level I was performed by an u/s technician, but the level II was performed by an M.D., so she was able to give us the results right then and there. I am in no way trained to read ultrasounds, but to my eye the u/s we had for K (which was just a basic, level I anatomy scan) seemed to be on a much higher-quality machine and had a much clearer picture. I could barely see what was what with the level II u/s, but had no problems with that with the level I- the doctor doing the level II even confirmed that, saying it's very likely the reason she couldn't see all she needed to with Max's heart was because of the low quality of the machine. But we have to have a fetal echo, anyway.
I had one due to my age and the fact that I chose not to do the downs test. It seemed more or less the same as the other USs I have had done but longer due to the need for measurements. Mine started with the tech and then the doctor came in. There also appeared to be a cyst in LOs brain which is a soft marker for downs, but we had no other markers. The doctor doing the US said that we could discuss genetic counseling with our doctor if we wanted. We went to see the doctor this week and she personally did not see the need for the counseling because that particular marker is not very indicative at all because at some point all babies have it, it's just that it usually goes away. But she did offer us another US at a later date if we choose to have one. As much fun as it is to have the US I doubt we will do it simply because it is another day off from work and requires us to go to the hospital etc.
Edit: I also don't see the need for another one because even if it were to be downs it doesn't matter to me, but this particular marker only gives you something like a 1% additional chance, I don't think it is a great concern.
Our son also had a cyst on his brain and a "white spot" on his heart. We went for our level 2 with the dr's from brigham and women's in boston.
The genetic councelor talked with us about our blood work (the AFP4) and then went though the different conditions that it looks for. It was very helpful for DH. She even had diagrams of what each of the genes looks like. She also took a detailed family history (any genetic conditions, adhd, cancer, etc.) and then went over any other tests that we might need.?
The level 2 was done by a tech at first just to get the measurements (i was facinated so I didn't really look at the time, but at least 45 min). Then she left and the dr came in and did another (about 20 min). ?The Dr. then met with us right there and went over everything.?
Based on our bloodwork and all of the other measurments our little boy is perfectly fine and the cyst should go away by 28 weeks (so it should be gone by now!) and the white spot will just be there but will not impact him at all.
Those two markers are things that they have just started to look for and there really is not a strong correlation. She said that the white spot is such a new thing that they look for it could be inherited and i or dh could even have one and have never known about it.
Sorry for this being so long!!! Good luck and just keep loving that baby
?
Oh I also forgot to mention that the cyst "could be" a marker for Trisomy 18 and the "white spot" "could be" a marker for Downs syndrome (Trisomy 21).?
For those they will take measurments of his limbs to see if they are growing correctly, look at his/her brain to see if it is connected (sorry, can't remember if you are having a boy or a girl) to each other, measure the size of the head and look carefully at the heart. They also look carefully at the other organs to make sure they are working correctly.?
The Mayo clinic has a great reputation so I am sure you will be in good hands!?
We just had one 2 weeks ago (plus follow-up appts since)... but for us that 1st appt with the specialist prompted the questions rather than us preparing them. We couldn't really prepare much ahead of time, b/c we didn't know "for sure" what was wrong prior to going in (we had a wrong diagnosis from the original 20-wk tech). Hopefully the specialist doctor will be really great and walk you through everything & explain everything very well. I guess it's important to make sure you & DH fully understand everything before you leave the office b/c your families will ask a ton of questions.
And I'm sure you'll think of a ton of questions after you leave, so if you have a follow-up appt, that'll be a good time to get those answered.
Oh, and bring a notebook to take notes!!! Good luck!