ACR Actively Opposes Fetal Keepsake/Entertainment Ultrasound
Contact: Shawn Farley
(703) 648-8936
E-mail: shawnf@acr.org
RESTON, Va. – The American College of Radiology fully supports the US Food and Drug Administration's view that fetal ultrasound be performed only for medical purposes with a prescription from an appropriately licensed provider.
The ACR will now provide a hyperlink on its Web site, www.acr.org, to facilitate members reporting to the FDA those facilities providing fetal keepsake videos solely for entertainment.
The ACR Council approved a resolution opposing the use of fetal ultrasound solely for entertainment videos or keepsake images during the ACR 81st Annual Meeting and Chapter Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.
"This is a patient safety issue. Ultrasound should not be used without a medical indication. Images of the fetus are an opportunity to diagnose problems before birth that may require treatment. These images should be interpreted by physicians properly trained in ultrasound and discussed with the parents and treating physicians in order to plan for the best care of the baby and mother," said Carol M. Rumack, M.D., FACR, chair of the ACR Ultrasound Commission.
The ACR also renewed support for the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine’s 1999 Prudent Use of Ultrasound statement.
You can view the ACR Statement on Fetal Keepsake Videos for Entertainment Only in the ACR Media Room at www.acr.org/media.
To arrange an interview with Dr. Rumack or another ACR member, please contact ACR Public Relations Manager Shawn Farley at (703) 648-8936.
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The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 32,000 diagnostic radiologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and medical physicists, with programs focusing on the practice of radiology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.