BGU Study Finds Ultrasound Could Be The Key to Diagnosing Autism
BGU Study Finds Ultrasound Could Be The Key to Diagnosing Autism
February 14, 2022
New York Post — A routine ultrasound during the second trimester “can identify early signs of autism spectrum disorder” (ASD), according to a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka Medical Center in Israel.
Researchers from the university’s Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research looked at data from hundreds of ultrasound anatomy scans, ScienceDaily reported.
Prenatal anatomy scans, which typically take place between 18 and 22 weeks, can reveal a baby’s sex – if parents want to know – as well as the development of the brain, face, heart, spine and other major organs.
Researchers found there were irregularities in the heart, kidneys and head in 30 percent of fetuses who later developed ASD, according to the university’s statement. This was three times higher than typically developing fetuses in the general population.
“Doctors can use these signs, [discernible] during a routine ultrasound, to evaluate the probability of the child being born with ASD,” said Professor Idan Menashe, who led the research, according to ScienceDaily.
However, more “robust” data is needed “about abnormalities in fetuses later developing into children diagnosed with ASD,” according to the study’s abstract in the journal “Brain.”
Read more in the New York Post >>
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