PRESS RELEASE

26 February 2008, Leeds, UK

Ultrasound paper recommends prenatal scanning for Vasa Praevia

Vasa Praevia is a condition which affects approximately 1 in 2500 deliveries, and as many as 1 in 300 in IVF pregnancies.

A paper in Ultrasound volume 16 number 1, Vasa Praevia; a Preventable Tragedy, reviews the mechanisms leading to vasa praevia (VP) as well as the incidence, clinical implications, and risk factors associated with this condition, and recommends routine evaluation to exclude VP in all routine obstetric scans as a matter of urgency.

The paper aims to persuade all those undertaking the detailed anomaly scan that excluding vasa praevia (VP) is a worthwhile endeavour and one that is easily achievable within the confines of the second-trimester anomaly scan. The paper is available to download free online at www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney/ultra/2008/00000016/00000001 until 31st March 2008.

Vasa praevia occurs when one or more of the baby's placental or umbilical blood vessels cross the entrance to the birth canal beneath the baby. When the cervix dilates or the membranes rupture, the unprotected vessels can tear, causing rapid foetal haemorrhage. When the baby drops into the pelvis, the vessels can be compressed, compromising the baby's blood supply and causing oxygen deprivation. For more information visit www.vasapraevia.co.uk 

The paper is written by Elizabeth Daly-Jones, Ann John, Alison Leahy, and Ciara McKenna (Ultrasound Department, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London, UK), and Waldo Sepulveda (Fetal Medicine Center, Clinica Las Condes, Santiago, Chile).

Elizabeth Daly-Jones hopes the article will raise awareness of VP in prenatal scans: “The method for excluding VP is a very simple technique, uses skills that trained practitioners already possess, and takes approximately a minute of extra examination time. VP is life threatening to a healthy baby, but a proper diagnosis and an elective Caesarean section will easily prevent unnecessary deaths.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

The UK Vasa Praevia Awareness website exists to raise awareness about VP; the condition, risk factors, warning signs, diagnosis and treatment, to bring about the introduction of clinical protocols in the UK for the diagnosis and treatment of VP, and to provide support and assistance to those who have experienced or those who are experiencing VP. For more information please visit www.vasapraevia.co.uk

Ultrasound is an international journal covering all aspects of medical ultrasound from the theoretical to clinical applications and their impact on both workforce and patients. A mixture of invited articles, current research, and descriptions of new techniques and equipment are included, providing both an educational and a scientific role. Ultrasound is published by Maney Publishing on behalf of the British Medical Ultrasound Society. For more information please visit www.maney.co.uk/journals/ultrasound. To view free sample content please visit www.ingentaconnect.com/content/maney 

British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS)

BMUS is a charitable, multi-disciplinary society, whose members are health care professionals and include radiologists, sonographers, obstetricians, physicists, veterinarians and others. BMUS works to advance the science and application of ultrasound in medicine, and to provide education, guidanceand information for its members and thepublic. For more information please visit www.bmus.org

Maney Publishing was established in 1900 and has offices in the UK in Leeds and London, and in Boston and Philadelphia in North America. With a collection of nearly eighty journals in materials science, humanities, and healthcare and biomedicine, Maney is committed to publishing high quality journals in print and electronic formats that are international in scope and peer-reviewed. Maney publishes extensively for learned societies, universities and professional bodies. Please visit www.maney.co.uk for more information.

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