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Does ultrasound harm babies?

From The Week, August 25, 2006, p 21:

The ultrasound scans that doctors use on pregnant women may cause fetal brain damage, says a new study. Researchers at Yale Medical School performed the recommended two 30-minute ultrasound sessions on mice whose pregnancies were at a crucial stage of brain development. They found that after the ultrasound, the development of neural cells in the babies' brains was slightly impaired. The heat from the vibrating ultrasound waves appears to be the cause of the damage. In theory, researchers said, fetal neural damage could lead to such disorders as retardation, autism, and schizophrenia. But lead researcher Pasko Rakic said that ultrasound may affect tiny mice brains more than human brains, and cautioned pregnant women not to avoid ultrasound tests "for appropriate diagnostic and medical purposes." He did say, though, that women should avoid unnecessary ultrasound scans.

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