I spend two days a week overseeing prenatal ultrasounds and doing consults. The majority of those scans are Level II anatomy scan at 18 weeks. This is the major scan where we look at all the parts of the fetus, both for structural anomalies, as well as for clues to genetic abnormalities. It is Stressful, perhaps even STRESSFUL, because this scan is a comprehensive physical exam of a non-compliant body INSIDE of another body and therefore, by definition,gives you limited information. So we mine our information for clues about things that may or may not be going on. And we live in fear of Missing Something Important.
Today, mid-morning, I'm reviewing a scan, and as always, after reviewing the tech's pictures, I scan through the fetus myself. Quickly, I see something in the fetal stomach. What is that? Is it just a weird angle? Nope, I scan back and forth and it's really there. It's...debris. A mass? In the fetal stomach? I don't think I've ever seen this before.
