Obstetric and fetal ultrasound abbreviations

Obstetric & Fetal Ultrasound Abbreviations

Obstetric & Fetal Ultrasound Abbreviations serve a variety of clinical and practical purposes in prenatal care, diagnosis, documentation, and communication. Here's how they are commonly used:

Uses of Abbreviations
1– Rapid Documentation
2– Standardization in Reporting
3– Efficient Communication Among Professionals
4– Diagnostic Interpretation
5– Risk Assessment & Monitoring
6– Educational & Training Use
7– Space-Saving in Charts & Forms
8– Alerts & Flags in Monitoring

1. Rapid Documentation
Abbreviations like BPD, HC, AC, and FL allow clinicians to quickly document measurements in fetal biometry charts or reports without writing full terms repeatedly.
2. Standardization in Reporting
Using standardized terms such as EFW, EDD, or AFI ensures consistency across:

• Electronic medical records (EMRs)
• Radiology and obstetric ultrasound reports
• International guidelines and protocols

3. Efficient Communication Among Professionals
Abbreviations like IUGR, NTD, or TTTS provide shorthand for complex diagnoses or conditions, allowing obstetricians, sonographers, radiologists, and neonatologists to communicate clearly and concisely.
4. Diagnostic Interpretation
Many abbreviations reflect key diagnostic parameters:

• PI, RI, S/D Ratio for Doppler studies
• CPR (Cerebroplacental Ratio) for fetal oxygenation and wellbeing
• CI (Cephalic Index) for skull shape assessment

5. Risk Assessment & Monitoring
Abbreviations like:

• NT, CPC, EIF are used in first-trimester screening
• HLHS, DWS, TOF are vital in anomaly scan documentation
• SIUGR, AFI, OLI are essential in third-trimester fetal wellbeing checks

6. Educational & Training Use
They help teach and test fetal development topics and pathology in:

• Sonography and radiology training programs
• OB/GYN board exams
• Clinical protocols and checklists

7. Space-Saving in Charts & Forms
Ultrasound worksheets, growth charts, and PACS reports often use abbreviations due to space constraints,

• EDD by US: 08/22/25 (based on CRL)"
• "EFW: 2400g (BPD, HC, AC, FL used)"

8. Alerts & Flags in Monitoring
Electronic systems can flag issues based on entries:

• EFW <10th %tile + CPR <1.08 → Risk of fetal hypoxia
• MVP <2 cm → Alert for Oligohydramnios

EARLY PREGNANCY / FIRST TRIMESTER
GS– Gestational Sac
YS– Yolk Sac
CRL– Crown-Rump Length
MSD– Mean Sac Diameter
FHR– Fetal Heart Rate
B-hCG– Beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
NT– Nuchal Translucency
NB or NBL– Nasal Bone (Length)
DV– Ductus Venosus (for early screening)
TR– Tricuspid Regurgitation (first trimester screening)
CF– Cord Insertion (Cord Factor)
TVS– Transvaginal Sonography
CL– Cervical Length
SA– Spontaneous Abortion
TA– Threatened Abortion
BO– Blighted Ovum
EP– Ectopic Pregnancy

FETAL BIOMETRY & GROWTH
BPD– Biparietal Diameter
HC– Head Circumference
AC– Abdominal Circumference
FL– Femur Length
HL– Humerus Length
TCD– Transcerebellar Diameter
OFD– Occipitofrontal Diameter
CI– Cephalic Index (BPD/OFD × 100)
EFW– Estimated Fetal Weight
SDR– Standard Deviation Range
EDD by US– Estimated Due Date by Ultrasound
CS– Composite Score (used in biometric averaging)
Ponderal Index– EFW / Length³ (fetal growth evaluation)

FETAL DOPPLER & CIRCULATION
UA PI– Umbilical Artery Pulsatility Index
MCA PI– Middle Cerebral Artery PI
CPR– Cerebroplacental Ratio (MCA PI / UA PI)
DV PI– Ductus Venosus PI
S/D– Systolic to Diastolic Ratio
RI– Resistive Index
TAMX– Time-Averaged Maximum Velocity
AFI– Amniotic Fluid Index
MVP– Maximum Vertical Pocket
OLI– Oligohydramnios
POLY– Polyhydramnios

FETAL ANOMALIES & ANATOMY SCAN
NTD– Neural Tube Defect
DWS– Dandy-Walker Syndrome
ACC– Agenesis of Corpus Callosum
VSD– Ventricular Septal Defect
AVSD– Atrioventricular Septal Defect
HLHS– Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
CDH– Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
TOF– Tetralogy of Fallot
EUA– Exomphalos / Umbilical Hernia / Abdominal Wall Defects
DUV– Dilated Ureter and Vesicoureteral Reflux
PUV– Posterior Urethral Valves
ARPKD– Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease
MC– Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney
SB– Spina Bifida
CNS– Central Nervous System
CPC– Choroid Plexus Cyst
NBL– Nasal Bone Length
EIF– Echogenic Intracardiac Focus
EFB– Echogenic Fetal Bowel
LCC– Longitudinal Cranial-Caudal View
TC– Thoracic Circumference
ASD– Atrial Septal Defect

TWIN & MULTIPLE GESTATIONS
DCDA– Dichorionic Diamniotic
MCDA– Monochorionic Diamniotic
MCMA– Monochorionic Monoamniotic
TTTS– Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome
TAPS– Twin Anemia-Polycythemia Sequence
TRAP– Twin Reversed Arterial Perfusion
SIUGR– Selective Intrauterine Growth Restriction
ANI– Amniotic Fluid Imbalance
MOD– Mode of Delivery

MATERNAL CONDITIONS & UTERINE FINDINGS
BMI– Body Mass Index
PIH– Pregnancy Induced Hypertension
PE– Preeclampsia
GDM– Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
PROM– Premature Rupture of Membranes
PPROM– Preterm PROM
PL– Placenta Low-lying
PP– Placenta Previa
PA– Placental Abruption
PI– Placental Insertion
IUGR– Intrauterine Growth Restriction
IUFD– Intrauterine Fetal Demise
CS– Cesarean Section (also known as C/S)
VBAC– Vaginal Birth After Cesarean
Cx– Cervix
IC– Incompetent Cervix
CL– Cervical Length

ULTRASOUND MODES & TECHNIQUES
2D– Two-Dimensional Imaging
3D– Three-Dimensional
4D– Real-time 3D (4D = 3D + motion)
M-Mode– Motion Mode (for heart rate)
PW– Pulsed Wave Doppler
CW– Continuous Wave Doppler
CFM– Color Flow Mapping
B-mode– Brightness Mode
A-mode– Amplitude Mode
TAS– Transabdominal Sonography
TVS– Transvaginal Sonography