WWYD - late u/s finding

[janine]

I switched docs late and they recommended an u/s so the doctor could size the baby - technically I'm high risk due to age, so it was easy to get approved by insurance (and was conducted by an high risk u/s doctor). We have had previous u/s at NT scan, amnio and 20 week anatomy scan...all went great.

So this 35 wk scan seemed like a "just for fun" one. But during it they saw something "white", near the kidney. They were not concerned with any of the organs..it was more an anomoly. Perhaps extra fat I was told, but to come back in 3wks. Which I did. Same result...it's there, not growing, not sure what it is, probably nothing (just a "variant") - hard to see due to baby's position - but can't say it's 100% nothing. SO the doctor said just to be safe, he would recommend a cat scan at birth.

Not sure how I feel about this - that's alot of radiation for little baby. OF course he said they do it all the time, totally safe..ok well I've never had one and a one day old is going to? I told my regular doctor and she said that's the pediatrician's call.

What would you do? I'm putting it out of my mind for the most part, but I need to put some thought into it. Part of me says it's nothing why put a baby through that - never saw anything before. Another part of me says, what if it IS something. And then I wonder if should go for a 2nd opinion, but at almost 39wks I am running out of time and energy. Wondering if others had experience in this.

[waitingforgrace]

Have you talked to your pediatrician? Not sure how your pediatrician does things but worth asking so they'll be in the loop especially if it's a staff ped who evaluates new babies at the hospital and not your normal ped. I would not want to make a decision on that until the baby is born and evaluated firsthand.

Good luck, hopefully everything will be just fine.

[hillview]

I'd get a second opinion. I'd get a second opinion before the baby is born if possible. I know time is tight but it will be more hectic with a newborn (and more emotional). DS2 had a couple of CT scans at a few months old.

[ha98ed14]

I certainly would not do it as a first option. There are so many other imaging options. I would try and ultrasound first. FWIW, I had the exact same experience with DD. 20 week us showed something odd. Not life threatening, but not typical. Turned out to be a defect in the gut correctable by surgery. Living those last 4 months with that was nerve wracking. :hug:

[janine]

I certainly would not do it as a first option. There are so many other imaging options. I would try and ultrasound first. FWIW, I had the exact same experience with DD. 20 week us showed something odd. Not life threatening, but not typical. Turned out to be a defect in the gut correctable by surgery. Living those last 4 months with that was nerve wracking. :hug:

By ultrasound do you mean when the baby is here or before? How did you end up diagnosing your baby - was it after birth and through what imaging? Who did you find was most helpful in presenting the options (pedi?). Thanks.

[lizzywednesday]

Speaking from experience, I would get a referral to a specialty hospital to work on the diagnosis prenatally rather than subject my child to a neonatal scan, probably under sedation, to diagnose something like that.

My DD's heart defect was diagnosed prenatally and her progress monitored at a specialty hospital. She was born at the specialty hospital and the first of 4 repairs of her defect took place when she was 12 hours old.

I know that Philly is probably a hike for you from NY, but DD has been a patient at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia since I was 22 weeks pregnant through their Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment. I can't recommend them enough.

[MamaSnoo]

I agree with PP about having an US for the baby after the birth. They can see alot more if they are not looking through you to get there, KWIM. Then you could talk to the pediatricians about whether or not any other imaging is needed.

Getting a 2nd opinion prior to delivery is not a bad idea, but they might not be able to tell you more than you already know.

Does the hospital where you are going to deliver have a good NICU? Not that you will necessarily need it, but I think it is comforting to know that is in place just in case.

[ha98ed14]

By ultrasound do you mean when the baby is here or before? How did you end up diagnosing your baby - was it after birth and through what imaging? Who did you find was most helpful in presenting the options (pedi?). Thanks.

They couldn't do any official dx'ing until DD was born. They had an idea of what it was and thought she could be born very sick. There was a team of pediatric surgeons waiting to take her into surgery right away because they could not tell exactly what it was, but if it was bad, this is what they would need to do. In the end, she was born healthy. It was not the worst case scenario they were prepared for.

The day after she was born, they did ultrasounds on her and got a firmer dx. Since her vitals were stable and she was meeting the "milestones", eating ok, etc., they sent us home with follow up with ped surgeons. We had several visits with a pedi gastrointerologist (sp?). They monitored it via ultra sound until she was 6 months and then scheduled the surgery. She had it at 9 months. It was a balance between waiting for her to be old enough to handle the anesthesia v. waiting too long to fix the problem. For her, the only monitoring they ever did was via ultrasound and blood draws.

The best info came from the pediatric gastrointerologist about what the problem was. The regular ped had never heard of it. The correction was surgery, and for that we went to pediatric general surgeons. The operation was supposed to be 5 hours. It was 8. They thought it would be one doc operating and one assisting. In the end, it was an attending, a resident, and two interns operating, and 2 medical students observing. DD had a rare birth defect. But they did a beautiful job. A surgery that is still being done by completely opening the abdomen from stern to the public bone they did laproscopically (sp?). You have to know where to look to see the scars, and one was across the navel, so it does not even show.

They really can do amazing things for kids these days. I know it is hard not to worry, but take comfort in that. More :hug5:s

[trcy]

:hug:How stressfull that you are going through this. I don't have much experence what what you are dealing with but my first thought when reading your original poast was also ultrasound after birth. Can you speak with your ped before your LO is born? DD was hospitalized at 5 days old. They thought it may have been a UTI (there is alot more to it, but it isn't relavent to your situation) While in the hospital they did an US of her kidneys. After she was released they did a VCUG to check for kidney reflux. I also worried about the radiation exposure, but in my situation I felt it was better to know if she had reflux.

[janine]

:hug:How stressfull that you are going through this. I don't have much experence what what you are dealing with but my first thought when reading your original poast was also ultrasound after birth. Can you speak with your ped before your LO is born? DD was hospitalized at 5 days old. They thought it may have been a UTI (there is alot more to it, but it isn't relavent to your situation) While in the hospital they did an US of her kidneys. After she was released they did a VCUG to check for kidney reflux. I also worried about the radiation exposure, but in my situation I felt it was better to know if she had reflux.

Thanks (and to everyone else). It is mostly stressful b/c I am at 39wks and not alot of time to try to do what's right/research. The u/s doctor said not to "lose sleep" but he also tried to play down a cat scan which to me is not minor. I am leaning towards U/S after birth - I was trying to scramble and find someone to do a 2nd opinion now, but it's tough and like a PP mentioned, they might say the same thing. It's hard to see alot with the baby crunched and in the particular position it's in. Sigh..it's not like I did not have alot of monitoring and u/s through this pregnancy, but nothing showed till now.

[KpbS]

I would try to get an appt w/ a neonatologist now and follow whatever their recommendation is. :hug:

[Katigre]

I would not be ok with a CT scan for a newborn's torso without all other imaging options being exhausted - that amount of radiation is nothing to sneeze at.

[janine]

Agree on not being ok with CT scan being first option - it bothers me that this u/s doctor made it sound very routine and that it simply a precaution in response to something he is not even concerned about, just not 100% sure.

I decided to call our pediatrician - she did her internship at the Children's Hospital in Philly and I just wanted to know if I should be doing anything before the baby is here, b/c with 8 days until my dd, I needed some real advice.

She recommends they do an u/s on the baby once she is here. An u/s on me would not reveal much more and it is easier to see things with the baby alone rather than have to go through me. If there's nothign we stop, if it's concerning then we can discuss options, CT scan etc. She seemed to agree it is safe but that yes is radiation involved so lets go with u/s first.