Brain Ultrasound Abnormalities In Healthy Neonates In Correlation With Antenatal And Perinatal Factors And Neurological Status

Abstract

Ultrasonography has been shown to be useful in examination of the fetal neonatal brain (Babcock & Hann; 1995).

Sonography can be used to diagnose macroscopic malformations such as hydrocephalus due to aqueduct stenosis (the most common congenital malformation of the •brain), the chiari II malformation , the Dandy Walker malformation holoprosencephaly agenesis of corpus callosum, large arteriovenous malformations such as galenic malformation and arachnoid cysts (Newton, 1995). An accurate diagnosis is important for appropriate treatment such as ventriculo peritoneal shunting but in many instances may simply be wanted to estimate the patient prognosis and to counsil the family even if a treatment is not available (Lane et al; 1997).

Only a few studies have previously assessed cranial ultrasound m clinically unselected infants. In these studies intracranial hemorrhage was the most common reported abnormality (With an incidence ranging between 2.7 and 5.5%). Lesions diagnosed as possible sequel to antenatal hemorrhages were present in 3 to 4%. One of these studies also reported morphological aberration in an additional 3% of the population, with an over incidence of abnormal findings of9% (Mercuri et al; 1998).