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A Scoping Review of Excessive Prenatal Ultrasonography as a Potential Risk Factor for Autism

Received: 1 September 2021     Accepted: 28 September 2021     Published: 28 October 2021
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Abstract

For the past several decades, abdominal/pelvic prenatal ultrasonography (P-USG) has been the most significant technology used in obstetrics. There has been a tremendous increase in use throughout the world and there have been many improvements in the technology used. However, there are aspects of the technology such as frequency, exposure time, thermal and cavitation exposure indices, and increased acoustic output of the ultrasonic waves that possibly could be harmful to the embryo/fetus. In particular, prolonged exposure may increase susceptibility to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Along with the increasing use of P-USG, there has been a similar increase in the incidence of ASD. The diagnosis of ASD has been found to be more common in geographic areas with a more affluent ethnicity, high socioeconomic status, and high parental education. These are also areas where prenatal ultrasonography is readily available and affordable. Given that there are biophysical risks from P-USG, especially in non-medical settings, P-USG may emerge as a possible risk factor for ASD. The past history of radiography provides a historical perspective: the predominant past opinion years ago was that exposure to X-rays during pregnancy caused no significant risk to a fetus. However, the association between X-ray exposure and childhood leukemia was only established 40 years after X-ray use began. This review focuses on the literature which supports the generation of the hypothesis that excessive P-USG usage may be a factor in the etiology of ASD.

Published in American Journal of Pediatrics (Volume 7, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajp.20210704.12
Page(s) 189-197
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Autism, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Children, Behavior, Ultrasonography, Prenatal, Pregnancy

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  • APA Style

    Hissa Moammar, Larry Desch, Rabi Sulayman. (2021). A Scoping Review of Excessive Prenatal Ultrasonography as a Potential Risk Factor for Autism. American Journal of Pediatrics, 7(4), 189-197. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20210704.12

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    Hissa Moammar; Larry Desch; Rabi Sulayman. A Scoping Review of Excessive Prenatal Ultrasonography as a Potential Risk Factor for Autism. Am. J. Pediatr. 2021, 7(4), 189-197. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20210704.12

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    AMA Style

    Hissa Moammar, Larry Desch, Rabi Sulayman. A Scoping Review of Excessive Prenatal Ultrasonography as a Potential Risk Factor for Autism. Am J Pediatr. 2021;7(4):189-197. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20210704.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajp.20210704.12,
      author = {Hissa Moammar and Larry Desch and Rabi Sulayman},
      title = {A Scoping Review of Excessive Prenatal Ultrasonography as a Potential Risk Factor for Autism},
      journal = {American Journal of Pediatrics},
      volume = {7},
      number = {4},
      pages = {189-197},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajp.20210704.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20210704.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajp.20210704.12},
      abstract = {For the past several decades, abdominal/pelvic prenatal ultrasonography (P-USG) has been the most significant technology used in obstetrics. There has been a tremendous increase in use throughout the world and there have been many improvements in the technology used. However, there are aspects of the technology such as frequency, exposure time, thermal and cavitation exposure indices, and increased acoustic output of the ultrasonic waves that possibly could be harmful to the embryo/fetus. In particular, prolonged exposure may increase susceptibility to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Along with the increasing use of P-USG, there has been a similar increase in the incidence of ASD. The diagnosis of ASD has been found to be more common in geographic areas with a more affluent ethnicity, high socioeconomic status, and high parental education. These are also areas where prenatal ultrasonography is readily available and affordable. Given that there are biophysical risks from P-USG, especially in non-medical settings, P-USG may emerge as a possible risk factor for ASD. The past history of radiography provides a historical perspective: the predominant past opinion years ago was that exposure to X-rays during pregnancy caused no significant risk to a fetus. However, the association between X-ray exposure and childhood leukemia was only established 40 years after X-ray use began. This review focuses on the literature which supports the generation of the hypothesis that excessive P-USG usage may be a factor in the etiology of ASD.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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    AU  - Hissa Moammar
    AU  - Larry Desch
    AU  - Rabi Sulayman
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajp.20210704.12
    T2  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JF  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JO  - American Journal of Pediatrics
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    AB  - For the past several decades, abdominal/pelvic prenatal ultrasonography (P-USG) has been the most significant technology used in obstetrics. There has been a tremendous increase in use throughout the world and there have been many improvements in the technology used. However, there are aspects of the technology such as frequency, exposure time, thermal and cavitation exposure indices, and increased acoustic output of the ultrasonic waves that possibly could be harmful to the embryo/fetus. In particular, prolonged exposure may increase susceptibility to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Along with the increasing use of P-USG, there has been a similar increase in the incidence of ASD. The diagnosis of ASD has been found to be more common in geographic areas with a more affluent ethnicity, high socioeconomic status, and high parental education. These are also areas where prenatal ultrasonography is readily available and affordable. Given that there are biophysical risks from P-USG, especially in non-medical settings, P-USG may emerge as a possible risk factor for ASD. The past history of radiography provides a historical perspective: the predominant past opinion years ago was that exposure to X-rays during pregnancy caused no significant risk to a fetus. However, the association between X-ray exposure and childhood leukemia was only established 40 years after X-ray use began. This review focuses on the literature which supports the generation of the hypothesis that excessive P-USG usage may be a factor in the etiology of ASD.
    VL  - 7
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Research Department, King Salman Center for Disability Research, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

  • Department of Pediatrics, Chicago Medical School, Chicago, the United States

  • Department of Pediatrics, Chicago Medical School, Chicago, the United States

  • Sections