title: Do Regular Ultrasound Scans Reduce the Incidence of Stillbirth in Women with Apparently Normal Pregnancies?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the incidence of stillbirth in women who have regular ante-natal ultrasound compared to those that have infrequent scans in a low risk population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective observational study was performed in a tertiary center with 5,700 deliveries per annum. Data on all deliveries was collected via the Northern Ireland Maternity System Database. Only women with an apparently low risk pregnancy were included. Women who had private antenatal care often had frequent scans in the third trimester. Women who did not have private antenatal care often had scans infrequently. The still birth rate was calculated for both groups of women from 2007 to 2011 and compared using a Chi-squared analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study included 23,519 'low-risk' deliveries spanning 2007-2011. This included 2,088 (9%) patients who had frequent ultrasound surveillance and delivery at term and 21,431 (91%) patients who did not. The overall stillbirth rate was 0.34% and 0.20% respectively which was not statistically different (p=0.31).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is no difference in the rate of stillbirth between patients who have more frequent ante-natal ultrasound surveillance compared with those who do not in a low risk population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Fetal Medicine, Royal Maternity Hospital, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Toner
authors.affiliation: Department of Fetal Medicine, Royal Maternity Hospital, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Fionnuala
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mone
authors.affiliation: Department of Fetal Medicine, Royal Maternity Hospital, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009660:Northern Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017149:Private Sector / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017150:Public Sector / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Low risk pregnancy; Stillbirth; Ultrasound scan