TRANSFONTANEAL BRAIN ULTRASOUND: A POWERFUL ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR CRITICALLY ILL NEONATES

Abstract

The ultrasound in medicine today is already tested and proven method, with relatively long tradition and training period. It has been versed and still tested in various branches of medicine, and among the first experiences, it was in neonates around the 1970s. Today, monitoring and supervision critically ill neonates, particularly premature infants, placed in incubator, is almost impossible without ultrasound. By this method, we are able examine and evaluate critically ill neonates at the patient's bedside, with minimum manipulating, without sedation, without anesthesia or contrast agents. Transfontaneal neonatal brain ultrasound provides diagnosis and assessment trend of brain changes through repeated examinations, without harmful radiation to child, which is important because in some conditions, serial examination is necessary to detect the full spectrum of lesional change. This review aims to highlight the importance of transfontanel brain ultrasound in neonates, and to provide a tool for structured neonatal brain ultrasound scanning, reporting and quality assessment.