| Sumario: | Evidence from a Cochrane systematic review on imaging ultrasound conducted before 24 weeks of pregnancy was evaluated as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) antenatal care guideline development process in 2016. The following recommendation was made by WHO: "One ultrasound scan before 24 weeks of gestation (early ultrasound) is recommended for pregnant women to estimate gestational age, improve detection of fetal anomalies and multiple pregnancies, reduce induction of labour for post-term pregnancy, and improve a woman's pregnancy experience". The evidence on effectiveness that supported this recommendation was derived from high-income countries. Since the publication of the Cochrane review, the findings of a large cluster-randomized trial of an antenatal ultrasound intervention in low-income countries have been published; therefore, this recommendation was prioritized by the Executive Guideline Steering Group (GSG) for updating. In March 2021, a WHO-convened Guideline Development Group (GDG) re-evaluated evidence on imaging ultrasound before 24 weeks of pregnancy, updating the recommendation on this intervention in accordance with the WHO Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH) living guidelines approach.
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