Ultrasound 4D is here

TVScope Life Before Birth Channel 4 on April 7th at 9pmThe biggest development in obstetric ultrasound since it was first developed 40 years ago means physicians and expectant parents can now view 3D images of foetuses moving in real-time in the womb.

Ultrasound is already recognised as being the best method of assessing foetal health, but the latest technological option, known as 4D imaging, allows practitioners to see video footage of foetuses moving in the womb.

It brings a new dimension to prenatal care and enables doctors to make a more accurate diagnosis in the event of a problem.

It also provides remarkable insight on the earliest forms of human behaviour; notably on how the foetus behaves, how it reacts to certain stimuli, how quickly it develops reflexes.

What were compelling in this two-hour Channel 4 programme were the images confirming the speed of complex development in the "comforting cocoon" of the womb; the heart is one of the first recognisable organs - after 22 days it bursts into action. An advanced sense of touch and feel also seems to come into being relatively early - a scratch of the nose can be detected at 30 weeks.

Yet there is awesome cellular specialisation completed by 24 weeks when the senses begin to flicker into life, though sight does not kick in until after birth. Perhaps by way of compensation in the meantime, hearing is most keenly developed. The familiar mother's voice is therefore probably the most comforting sound. The images and muffled sounds of the womb were combined to shift the emphasis from the viewer's perspective to that of a foetus which in turn revealed like never before why so much of our future is foretold in that small protective environment.

Moreover, the scientists featured in Life Before Birth suggested this may indicate the value of developing long-term memory by for example repeatedly reciting a poem or perhaps a song while the foetus is developing.

Despite groundbreaking filming and scanning techniques, ultra-realistic and anatomically accurate models were required to engage the audience and illustrate the foetus at key stages of development that would be impossible to film for real.

"The maternal womb is an optimal, stimulating, interactive environment for human development. Activity never ceases and a foetus is never isolated. Touch, the first sense, is the cornerstone of human experience and communication, beginning in the womb," wrote noted anthropologist Ashley Montagu in 1978.

Against that background, it was fascinating to read recently that touch is the one sense that stays strong with older people, including those with Alzheimer's disease.

Life before Birth showed early life in a new glory. For all that, one big issue remained unsolved: at what point does life begin?