As I sat editing this month’s special topic, Women’s Health, I noticed a strange feeling in my stomach, pangs caused by the kicks and jabs of my new son, due in July. Now, I’m not going to burden you with a “Kathy Lee Gifford brags about Cody and Cassidy” harangue, but a few of my experiences as a patient reveal perspectives that might get misplaced in the furor of a successful radiology practice.
I guess I shouldn’t call my pangs “strange” since this is my third child – I’ve become quite accustomed to the booming kicks of soccer players in training – and after working in this field, I was anxious to have an ultrasound and get a peek at my new baby. My husband, Mom and I crowded the screen and learned, to everyone’s surprise but mine, that we were expecting baby boy No. 3. That was the good news. We also were told that our son had bilateral choroid plexus cysts – cysts in the choroid plexus of the brain which occur in 1 to 3 percent of pregnancies, and to which a correlation has been found to Down’s Syndrome and other trisomy syndromes. That I found scary.
Combing the Web, I sought every detail on CPCs. I found clinical sites and parent discussion boards, then I found an article by Roy Filly, M.D., that should be required reading for all mothers-to-be awaiting their first ultrasound, “Obstetrical Ultrasound: The Best Way to Terrify a Pregnant Woman.” [at http://www.choroidplexuscyst.org ].
Filly comfortingly describes CPCs as an ” ‘abnormality’ which [are] not really abnormal.” He explains how healthcare professionals are obliged to tell patients about such observations. My sonographer and OBs did, and they told us not to worry because the cysts are often a phase in brain development and disappear by 24 weeks. OK, they told me, but until then I was obliged to worry my son might have a life-threatening condition.
A few days later we had a Level 2 exam and learned the baby did not have any of the 22 characteristics recognized via ultrasound to correlate with Down’s or trisomy 18. “But we can’t be sure there’s no problem,” added the geneticist. Ultrasound isn’t perfect yet. However, our chance of a real problem was down to 0.33 percent and I could live with that.
The next five weeks crept by and I held my breath through a follow-up scan. The sonographer exclaimed, “They’re gone! Look at those lobes, they’re clean. The brain looks great.”
Phew.
I also had a little fun and I’d like to share it with you. When the mystery of the baby’s sex had been revealed, and his scans came back well, I dabbled in the latest medical imaging technology and had a 3D ultrasound scan. It gave me a sneak 3D peek at his face, fingers and toes, and you can see him, too. His face and legs are on this month’s cover. A bit unconventional perhaps, but to me they are a wonder of this science that we talk about often, but may not truly appreciate. Seeing is believing, and these 3D images let me begin to know my child. 
Mary C. Tierney
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