Retrospective Evaluation of the Accuracy of Prenatal Ultrasounds in Detecting Fetal Anomalies

Abstract

Background: Prenatal ultrasounds are crucial for detecting foetal abnormalities, but many factors can impact their accuracy. This study compared prenatal ultrasounds to postnatal diagnoses to see how well the former detects foetal abnormalities at GMCH Purnia.

Method: 300 prenatal ultrasound records were retrospectively evaluated. Medical records and ultrasound results were compared to assess abnormality detection precision. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were calculated. Classifying anomalies and comparing them to postnatal diagnoses rated diagnosis accuracy.

Result: Prenatal ultrasounds exhibited 78.2% sensitivity and 92.6% specificity. Heart and neural tube anomalies predominated. There were 30 false negatives and 20 false positives. While there was potential for improvement, accuracy was comparable to comparable research.

Conclusion: Despite these limitations, prenatal ultrasounds can detect significant foetal abnormalities. The study recommends sonographer training and new diagnostic tests to improve diagnostic accuracy.