However, the Ten Brain Domains are easily incorporated into any of the four diagnostic systems CNS damage criteria, as the framework only proposes the domains, rather than the cut-off criteria for FASD. Differential diagnosis
The CDC reviewed nine syndromes that have overlapping features with FAS; however, none of these syndromes include all three FAS facial features, and none are the result of prenatal alcohol exposure:
Aarskog syndrome
Williams syndrome
Noonan syndrome
Dubowitz syndrome
Brachman-DeLange syndrome
Toluene syndrome
Fetal hydantoin syndrome
Fetal valproate syndrome
Maternal PKU fetal effectsOther disorders that have overlapping behavioral symptoms and/or that might be comorbid to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder might include:
Attention deficit hyperactive disorder
Autism spectrum disorder
Reactive attachment disorder
Oppositional defiant disorder
Sensory integration dysfunction
Bipolar disorder
DepressionMost people with an FASD have most often been misdiagnosed with ADHD due to the large overlap between their behavioral deficits. Prevention
The only certain way to prevent FAS is to avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy. In the United States, the Surgeon General recommended in 1981, and again in 2005, that women abstain from alcohol use while pregnant or while planning a pregnancy, the latter to avoid damage even in the earliest stages (even weeks) of a pregnancy, as the woman may not be aware that she has conceived. The Centers for Disease Control and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also recommend no alcohol during pregnancy.
Twilight sedation is, however, inherently safer than general anesthesia; it also allows the patients to follow simple commands and even to watch the procedure on a closed-circuit monitor. Tens of millions of adults annually need to have colonoscopies, and yet many dont because of concerns about the procedure.Colonoscopy can be carried out without any sedation and without problems with pain, which is practised in several institutions in many countries with the patients agreement. This allows the patient to shift the body position to help the doctor carry out the procedure and significantly reduces recovery time and side-effects. There is some discomfort when the colon is distended with air, but this is not usually particularly painful, and it passes relatively quickly. Unsedated patients can be released from the hospital on their own without any feelings of nausea, able to continue with normal activities, and without the need for an escort as recommended after sedation. Ultrasound
Duodenography and colonography are performed like a standard abdominal examination using B-mode and color flow Doppler ultrasonography using a low frequency transducer — for example a 2.5 MHz — and a high frequency transducer, for example a 7.5 MHz probe. Detailed examination of duodenal walls and folds, colonic walls and haustra was performed using a 7.5 MHz probe. Deeply located abdominal structures were examined using 2.5 MHz probe. All ultrasound examinations are performed after overnight fasting (for at least 16 hours) using standard scanning procedure. Subjects are examined with and without water contrast.