Diagnostic ultrasound exposure during pregnancy potentially affects rabbit fetal parathyroid hormone level

Abstract

Prenatal hyperparathyroidism (HPT) is one of the true emergency cases and capable of causing serious problems to the mother as well as the unborn baby. This in-vivo study was aimed to investigate the changes in parathyroid hormone (PTH) level of rabbit fetal bodies exposed to diagnostic ultrasound during pregnancy for varying duration of time. As compared to that of control, significantly low PTH levels were observed in the groups exposed for 30 and 60 minutes during pregnancy. This ultrasound heating effect could trigger further studies to look for any adverse effects and/or clinical benefits in human during fetal stage.