§ Mrs. WiseTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she had made of the evaluation carried out as to the long-term safety of ultrasound exposure of the foetus and newborn; and on what studies she had based her conclusions.
§ Mr. Sackville[holding answer 22 July 1993]: The available evidence on the safety of ultrasound in pregnancy is contained in the publication "Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth" (1989), a copy of which is available in the Library. It concluded that:
so far, there is no evidence that ultrasonography in human pregnancy has any harmful biological or physical effects.Details of trials conducted since 1989 are included in the Oxford database of perinatal trials. Copies of extracts from the database relating to ultrasound will be placed in the Library.
An ad hoc group of the Chief Medical Officer's radiological advisory committee is currently examining the general safety of ultrasound.