Commentary on a Cochrane Review of Routine Ultrasound in Late Pregnancy.

Diagnostic ultrasound can be used in late pregnancy to assess a fetus's condition, especially when there are complications. However, it remains controversial to carry out scans in late pregnancy on all pregnant women. Reasons for performing these scans include detecting clinical conditions that place a fetus or woman at high risk that would not necessarily have been detected by other means (such as clinical examination) and for which subsequent management would improve perinatal outcomes.