Level 2 Ultrasound scheduled. Should I be concerned?

[HoldEmKillah]

I'd like to hear from experts or those who have been there before. Today we just had the ultrasound and everything looked pefect with the exception of one thing. There was a tiny spot on the baby's heart. The woman giving the ultrasound (nurse?) said "I have to schedule you for a Level 2 ultrasound but it's probably nothing at all. The problem is these new pictures are so high resolution that we see EVERYTHING so it's likely nothing." She said it's usually a build up of calcium in the muscle of the heart and also used the word 'ecogenic' in there (or something close to that word). My wife asked if this has anything to do with down syndrome and she said yes but the possibility that something is wrong is very very slim. Ok fine. No worries yet then.

But then I went to work and my wife went upstairs to her monthly checkup and got the results for the Down Syndrome test she had taken a week or so ago. They said that the tests came back to her having a 1 in 3600 chance of her having a down syndrome baby but since the ultrasound had the spot on the heart it now increases those chances by 50% (meaning 1 in 1800). So now instead of going locally to get the Level 2, we have to go to BOSTON to have it done. Man. I don't like the sound of this at all.

Can someone tell me if I should be freaking out as much as my wife is right now? I'm really worried but much calmer than wy wife who called me in a sobbing panic.

Does anyone know anything else about this stuff? Is anyone out there an expert?

Thank you,
HEK

[The Yugoslavian]

Well freaking out won't likely help either of you in any forseeable way. So you probably shouldn't be. Just make sure you are there to support your wife and take the precautions that the Doctors set out for you.

As for advice, I'd PM Irieguy. He's the only ob/gyn I know of on the forums...

Yugoslav

[vulturesrow]

I dont know all the medical details and I have been lucky that my wife has had 3 healthy preganancies thus far. What I will say is that you need to be calm for your wife even if you are "freaking out" on the inside.

[Amid Cent]

When my wife was pregnant 2+ years ago, one of our tests came back indicating our chances of having a baby with Down's at 1 in 190! We were both concerned (my wife much more so than me), but 1 in 190 are still pretty long odds.

We did the 4D ultrasound (not sure if that's the same as a Level 2) with a doctor who had done tons of them. Everything came back normal and we had a healthy boy.

Good luck. Do some research but try not to end up scaring yourself silly.

[4_2_it]

FWIW, the ultrasound on our first daughter showed a dark spot in her cranium. The doctor told us that it was probably nothing, but there was a small chance the baby could be brain damaged. Everything worked out fine, but my wife was a basket case for 6 months until after the baby was born.

Don't worry until you get the results of the next test. Inconclusive means just that. If they knew anything more substantial, believe me, they would have told you by now. I know it's hard not being in control, but there is really nothing either you or your wife can do about the situation. It is was it is. Try to be a calming presence for your wife during her pregnancy.

Good luck.

[ddollevoet]

First kid huh?

I worried a lot too. My cousin has downs. My sister had a false positive with her first baby. When my wife went into labor we couldn't find the babys heart beat. These are just a few things on a long list. You can't help but worry.

Be there for your wife for the good and bad.

99.999999% of the time everything works out OK.

[Los Feliz Slim]

HEK,

Is your wife going to have an amnio? I know there's some risk involved, but they get some of the baby's tissue that way and can really get lots of information. My wife had to stay on a medication while pregnant that was on the "grey" list - you could only keep taking it if it was absolutely necessary, and increases the risk of birth defects (particularly neural tube disorders, which are not good at all) from 2-3% to 4-6%. Thus, she had an amnio, which was easy to do and really took a load off our minds.

I take it the person doing the ultrasound was not her OB? I find it odd that someone without a lot of authority would drop a "maybe" like that on you.

Like everyone else has said, it's important you listen to your wife and let her know that you'll do everything together, whatever happens.

Good luck man.

[kenberman]

I have nothing to add to this thread except to wish you good luck.

[Ulysses]

Best of luck. So far, all of my friends who have had to have some sort of follow-up like this, have ended up having healthy kids. The flip side of the advanced tests these days is that things that are minor possibilities that never would have been noticed in the past now get noticed and advanced to further testing. I hope this is the case with you and it all works out for the best.

I have no personal experience w/ kids, but I did have an eye doctor once rush me for emergency followup evaluations because I had a hole in my retina or something. Turns out it was just a tiny spot of pigment. And WebMD and the like have diagnosed me w/ cancer many, many times.

[HoldEmKillah]

Long story short: everything worked out just fine with the Level 2. There were no other abnormalities which means that the white spot is a exactly what it is: a calcium buildup at a spot on the wall of the heart.

Whenever this spot shows up on an ultrasound they send the mother to a Level 2 because this white spot is very common in babies who are born with Down's. But 97+% of fetuses who have this spot end up perfectly healthy. Usually there are other signs if the baby is in fact at high risk for it.

So the DOCTOR was not concerned whatsoever. When asked if this spot has the potential to develop into any kind of heart abnormality she replied "no." When I asked the same question 2 more times but phrased differently she again said "no."

Thank you all for getting me to calm down when inside I was confused and worried.

BTW, we have some 3D ultrasound pics of him. They are the most amazing and wonderful photos I have ever seen in my entire life...and it's not even close.