During the past decade, the technology of ultrasound services has expanded to allow for 4-D imaging, said Patti Justice, owner of Blooming Pregnancy Spa and Imaging Center, 5601 Brodie Lane, Ste. 650, Austin.

A 4-D image is a still picture in motion, she said. Since the imaging procedures involve only soundwaves, there is no risk to the mother or child, she said.

Justice said her 4-year-old business only performs physician-approved prenatal scans for elective reasons, and a registered diagnostic medical sonographer, or RDMS, conducts the sonogram.

"[The RDMS designation] is the same gold standard a hospital would require of a technician," said Justice, who also offers prenatal massages at her facility.

Sonographers Nicole and Derwin Volpacchio started Bios 4D Imaging, 325 S. RR 620, Ste. 100B, Lakeway, in 2011 as a portable ultrasound diagnostic service that is able to bring imaging to patients in medical offices, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers.

He said his company focuses on a variety of diagnostic specialties, from determining a patient's artery blockages to whether a baby has a cleft palate.

"We are not for entertainment," Derwin Volpacchio said. "We look at high-risk situations."