Sector scan ultrasound imaging through the anterior fontanelle. Its use in diagnosing neonatal periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage.

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.