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Is there a sonographic method to test for paternity?

Dr Ashok Khurana
Director, Genitourinary and Vascular Ultrasound,
The Ultrasound Lab,
New Delhi

Q: I heard once that a child's paternity was tested using sonography. Is this true and reliable?

A:There is no sonographic method to test for paternity. Of course, when fetal DNA is to be obtained to decide a paternity suit, a chorionic villus sample is obtained under ultrasound guidance and sent to a Genetics Laboratory for analysis. This does not involve aborting the fetus.