Warning over unsafe scan clinics misdiagnosing

Leading radiographers have voiced grave concerns over “unsafe” high street clinics providing baby scans without qualified specialists. Reports detail instances of babies being wrongly diagnosed as deceased and critical medical emergencies overlooked.

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The Society of Radiographers highlights a surge in such pregnancy scan clinics, noting that while other health professionals require qualification and regulation, anyone with an ultrasound machine can currently claim to be a sonographer, according to The Independent.

When people perform scans without proper training it can lead to “unsafe” situations for the mother and baby, the SoR said.

It highlighted examples including:

A blood clot being misdiagnosed as a malformed foetus, with the mother advised to have an induced miscarriage despite the fact the baby was healthy.

Ectopic pregnancies — which can lead to life threatening outcomes — being missed.

Missed abnormalities that should have been detected.

A misdiagnosed problem with a cervix, with the practitioner advising the mother to have two weeks of bed rest — which is “outdated advice”.