The usefulness of foetal ‘nuchal thickness’ as a technique for attempting to diagnose Down’s syndrome in obstetric ultrasound is overstated and reliance on this surrogate marker may result in the ‘loss’ of normal babies. In a recent article published in Ultrasound, the Journal of the British Medical Ultrasound Society (Vol. 15, Number 3, 2007), Dr Hylton Meire raises the possibility that ultrasound is not as useful as has been suggested. He particularly emphasises the lack of scientific data to support the use of foetal ‘nuchal thickness’ measurements in routine clinical ultrasound practice to ascertain the presence of Down’s syndrome.
