My question is, can my doctor just give a a level II ultrasound just cause?
Answer The only difference between a Level I ultrasound and a Level II ultrasound is the time spent on the exam and the amount of detail the technician goes into. For example, a Level I may just check for gestational age, arms and legs, major defects, etc. A Level II will measure the cavities in the brain, the size of the stomach, the chambers of the heart, a variety of blood vessels, the cervix, and even the uterus and ovaries, among other things. Some doctors will write them up as Level I/II, because there really isn’t much difference, just time and detail. Most OB/GYN practices will do a routine ultrasound at 20 weeks or so, to check for fetal defects. A Level II can be routine at this time, it just depends on the practice. Outside of that single routine exam, usually there does need to be a problem for an OB to order another ultrasound…unless the OB just got some nifty new equipment and wants to play with it a lot. Now, as to your specific question, “Can my doctor…” Well, your
