3D Ultrasound
3D ultrasound is a technique used in the medical world on pregnant women that provides an image of the fetus in a three dimensional form. It is common for these images to be captured at a fast pace and then animated to re-form a 4D ultrasound.
The technique was first invented by Stephen Smith and Olaf von Ramm in 1987 and is commonly used in many hospitals throughout the Western world. It works by sending sound waves at varying angles, and the echoes that are returned are then handled and processed by an advanced computer system that provides a 3D ultrasound image of the fetus.
The same technique can be used for looking at internal organs as well as at a fetus to establish a variety of problems or diseases. However, when it is used on pregnant women the intention is to look at the unborn baby to see if it is male or female as well as to see what the baby looks like and to help the mother to bond with her child.
The image that is produced is comprised of the height, the weight and the depth of the fetus but it has no movement. A moving image can be produced by compiling the images into a 4D ultrasound simply by stringing the 3D ultrasound images together. They are more commonly referred to as ‘keepsake ultrasounds’ by medical experts as the image is designed to be taken away by the parent as a reminder and memento.