Amniotic band

[ggeorgieee]

Hi everyone,

I went for my 20 week scan yesterday and at the end of the scan the lady noted a small 'placental band' said it was nothing to worry about but has booked me back in for another scan on Sunday which is pretty soon and has made me think there may be something to worry about - other than noting this small placenta band she didn't say too much about it. upon googling, I have figured it's the same thing as an amniotic band but I have also not been very successful in finding out much about them other than it's very likely the baby is going to be born minus some form of limb/limbs if the lady scanning me is correct in thinking what she saw was an amniotic band.

There really isn't many helpful things about this on google, so I'd really really appreciate everyone's experiences with this as at the moment I feel totally alone and like I can't talk to anyone.

Thank you so much

Hi there sorry I don't have any personal experience but I just found this article which may be useful:

www.diagnosticimaging.com/view/recognizing-intra-amniotic-band-structures-obstetric-ultrasound

It differentiates between amniotic folds & true amniotic bands. Basically it says small amniotic folds are very common, benign & rarely cause any issues. True amniotic bands are much rarer & have a distinct appearance on Ultrasound.

I'm guessing you have another scan booked to get a second opinion, I'm a radiographer & having another pair of eyes look at your images can give a different perspective.

Good luck & I hope all is well at the next scan x

Also just wanted to add that ultrasound, as with any medical imaging, is not an exact science. Ultrasound is completely operator dependent & the images & results are one person's impression of a small snapshot in time. Factors such as their skill level, experience, environment & equipment can all have an effect on the images produced.

This is not to say you shouldn't trust the results of imaging, just that it's not 100% correct 100% of the time. That's why you see so many posts on here from women who've had worrying scans then return & have a normal scan.

My SIL had a worrying scan late on her pregnancy where she was told her baby might be at risk of cystic fibrosis. This worried her sick as she has this in her family. At her second scan the area of the image which was concerning looked completely different & she had a healthy baby.

So overall ultrasound is a fantastic diagnostic tool, sonographers are highly trained & specialised but they are only human & don't get it right every single time.