The effect of B-mode diagnostic ultrasound exposure on rabbit foetal bone mineral density (BMD)

Aim: To investigate the changes in rabbit foetal body composition in terms of bone mineral density (BMD) after ultrasound exposure (insonation) was given during different stages of gestation at different lengths of exposure time. Methods: Three groups of pregnant rabbits; A, B, and C were given an ultrasound exposure of 30, 60 and 90 min, respectively; during "Trimester 1", "Trimester 2", and "Trimester 3", using a 2-D B-mode Philips HD3 ultrasound system with a 9 MHz 50 mm broadband high-resolution linear array transducer. A fourth group of pregnant rabbits, O, was used as control. Each full-term newborn rabbits were scanned using a Lunar DPX-IQ dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanner for whole-body BMD measurement in grams per centimetre square (g/cm2). Results: The results suggested that insonation for 90 min in the 1st and 2nd trimester produced significant increase in BMD of rabbit foetus. Conclusion: This in-vivo study revealed that a 90 min B-mode diagnostic ultrasound exposure during the 1st and the 2nd trimesters caused significant increase in foetal BMD. A further study should be instituted to determine whether this finding in rabbit may also occur in human by means of clinical trials.