3-D ultrasound creates prenatal portraits

The present, a gift certificate for three-dimensional prenatal portraits, led to months of research before Miller and longtime friend Michelle Moses became franchisees for Salt Lake City-based Ultrasona. The pair opened Ultrasona of the Ozarks Dec. 1 at 3331 E. Montclair, Ste. F. Ultrasona joins Baby’s First Portrait as a nonclinical provider of 3-D ultrasounds in the Ozarks.

Ultrasound technology is nothing new, having been used by physicians for more than 35 years to check on the progress of the developing fetus. What’s new is the niche it has found outside of the exam room, with expectant parents visiting independent offices and franchises across the country, with names such as Fetal Fotos and Womb With a View.

“We’re hoping to provide a bonding experience for the family,” Moses said of the imaging sessions, most of which occur 28 to 32 weeks into the pregnancy. Sessions last from 10 to 20 minutes each, with a price tag of $75 to $150.

Kim Woolley’s clients at Baby’s First Portrait, 2200 E. Sunshine, Ste. 128 and 712 E. 32nd St. in Joplin, pay $75 to $200 for her services.

Miller, Moses and Woolley all perform the ultrasound scans, which involve gliding a transducer across the mother’s abdomen. High-frequency sound waves create an image of the fetus on a computer monitor, but unlike the two-dimensional ultrasound performed in a doctor’s office, the 3-D scans produce images that resemble a photograph of the baby rather than the fuzzy 2-D images most associate with ultrasonography.

Miller, Moses and Woolley declined to disclose how much of an investment is required to get started in the businesses, where clients leave their sessions with keepsake photos and videos saved on DVD or videotape.

The keepsake portraits have raised concerns in the medical industry.

Three groups have spoken out against using ultrasound for keepsake purposes – the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. Reasons for disapproval include the unknown long-term effects of the fetus being exposed to ultrasound other than when medically necessary; falsely reassuring a client all is well with the pregnancy when problems may exist; and the untrained eye discovering potential medical concerns that are either not addressed with the client or cause the client unnecessary stress.

Dr. Kathleen Graves, an obstetrician/ gynecologist with CoxHealth’s Physicians for Women, has posted statements from the FDA and the ACOG on bulletin boards in her exam rooms. She discourages patients from visiting prenatal portrait businesses.

“Ours is two-dimensional,” Graves said of the ultrasound equipment used in her office by a trained ultrasonography technician. “Very seldom do we miss something on a 2-D.” Concerns that arise from a 2-D scan, she said, would be addressed when Graves refers patients to a perinatologist, who would then use the 3-D technology.

“It would be like bringing you in to do a CT of your head for fun,” said Tammy Stearnes, program director at CoxHealth’s School of Radiological Technology, of using 3-D ultrasound outside of a medical setting.

Sonographers, Starnes said, are trained for 18 months at the School of Radiological Technology, with about 10 of those months focusing on obstetric ultrasound. About 10 students are admitted to the program each year.

All three business owners said that they receive training on using the equipment. Miller and Moses said that Ultrasona

provided 500 hours of training initially and ongoing training as well. Woolley spends a week each year in training with an independent company.

At Ultrasona and Baby’s First Portrait, clients are told that the ultrasound sessions are not a replacement for medical care.

“Sometimes people ask me if I can tell how big the baby is and things of that nature, but I remind them of the document that they signed and that we don’t do anything medical and they’re fine with that,” said Woolley, whose clients sign a waiver stating they understand she is not providing medical care.

Both businesses said that they notify the client’s doctor when an appointment is made.

“If their physician has any problem with it, they have been notified and they can choose to talk to their patient or to give us a call,” Woolley said, adding that most clients go through with the appointment.

A physician at Ultrasona’s home office reads all scans, Miller said, and that physician notifies the client’s physician if there are concerns about the results.

“We do give the doctor a follow-up report, and we notify the doctor to let them know that their patient is coming in to see us,” Moses said.

Services at Baby’s First Portrait and Ultrasona are not covered by health insurance since they are not done for medical reasons.