Sector scan ultrasound imaging through the anterior fontanelle. Its use in diagnosing neonatal periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage
W. C. Allan, C. A. Roveto, L. R. Sawyer and S. E. Courtney
The ultrasound sector scanner was used to visualize intracranial pathologic
conditions in neonates. The scan head is small enough to make good contact
with the anterior fontanelle of infants as small as 700 to 800 g. Clotted
blood is clearly seen as a white, echo-dense area, and the scan quality
approaches that of computerized tomographic (CT) scan in neonates with
intracranial hemorrhage. Three cases were analyzed with CT scan or by
autopsy correlation of sector scans. Clinical applications include the
diagnosis of periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage, posthemorrhagic
hydrocephalus, and other intracranial pathologic conditions. The use of
ultrasound in the diagnosis of neonatal intracranial hemorrhage is briefly
reviewed.
