WASHINGTON (AP) - When actor Tom Cruise bought a sonogram machine so he could keep tabs on his baby-to-be, it may not have been a good idea.

The latest concern about the health risks of ultrasound scans comes from a study that suggests, in mice at least, that the procedure can affect the development of the fetal brain.

Yale University researchers say the findings should not keep pregnant women from having ultrasound scans when needed for medical reasons. But they say women should avoid unnecessary scans until more research has been done.

The study appears in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

__________________