There are often three ultrasounds performed during pregnancy. They define the age of the fetus and the probable date of birth. They also make it possible to study the morphology of the fetus and to diagnose anomalies, malformations.
The sonographer must take precise measurements of the different parts of the body, a common protocol allows them to diagnose most malformations.
An ultrasound is not infallible, especially at the facial level, the position of the child during the examination sometimes prevents to see some malformations, he can for example hide his face with his hands.
Ultrasounds will reveal a cleft lip, its width can be measured. However, the observed width is not predictive of the post operative result. The diagnosis of cleft palate is more difficult. There may be indirect signs, such as the position of the tongue. The cleft palate is often evoked, but there may be diagnosis errors.
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