Neonatal cranial sonography: ultrasound findings in neonatal meningitis-a pictorial review

Authors

Nishant Gupta, Department of Radiology, Saint Vincent's Medical Center, Bridgeport, CT, USA.Follow
Hemal Grover, Department of Neuroradiology, NYU Lagone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.Follow
Itisha Bansal, Department of Anesthesiology, New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, New York, USA.Follow
Kusum Hooda, Department of Radiology, Yale New Haven Health at Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, CT, USA.Follow
Joshua M. Sapire, Department of Neuroradiology, Saint Vincent's Medical Center, Bridgeport, CT, USA.Follow
Rama Anand, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Kalawati Saran Children Hospital, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, New Delhi, India.
Yogesh Kumar, Department of Neuroradiology, Yale New Haven Health at Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, CT, USA.Follow

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery

Abstract

Neonatal bacterial meningitis is a common manifestation of late onset neonatal sepsis. Cranial sonography (CRS) has a crucial role in assessment of infants with clinical suspicion of bacterial meningitis as well as follows up of its complications. CRS is performed with high frequency transducer through anterior fontanelle in both coronal and sagittal planes. Various sonographic findings range from echogenic and widened sulci, ventriculomegaly, ventriculitis, hydrocephalus, extra-axial fluid collections, cerebritis and brain abscess. Sonography is extremely beneficial in evaluating intraventricular contents, especially debris and intraventricular septations. Linear high frequency probe along with color Doppler interrogation are of utmost importance in evaluating extra-axial fluid collection and helps differentiating it from benign subarachnoid space enlargement. Due to low cost, easy portability, speed of imaging, no need for sedation and above all lack of ionizing radiation make it superior to other cross sectional imaging, like CT and MRI, in evaluation of these sick neonates. Apart from textbooks, there is paucity of recently available literature on cranial sonographic findings in neonatal meningitis. This article is written with an educational intent to review the spectrum of findings in neonatal meningitis, with stress on findings that will be beneficial in the clinical practice.

First Page

123

Last Page

131

DOI

10.21037/qims.2017.02.01

Publication Date

2-1-2017

Recommended Citation

Gupta, Nishant; Grover, Hemal; Bansal, Itisha; Hooda, Kusum; Sapire, Joshua M.; Anand, Rama; and Kumar, Yogesh, "Neonatal cranial sonography: ultrasound findings in neonatal meningitis-a pictorial review" (2017). Radiology. 106.
https://scholar.bridgeporthospital.org/radiology/106

Identifier

28275563 (pubmed); PMC5337180 (pmc); 10.21037/qims.2017.02.01 (doi); qims-07-01-123 (pii)