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Three-dimensional ultrasound of the neonatal brain: technical approach and spectrum of disease

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Abstract

Brain pathology is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates, especially in the premature population. While conventional two-dimensional neurosonography is traditionally used for screening, diagnosis and monitoring of brain disorders such as germinal matrix hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia and hydrocephalus, three-dimensional ultrasonography has gained popularity in a variety of clinical applications in recent years. Three-dimensional ultrasonography is not yet widely utilized in pediatric imaging but is a potentially powerful tool for evaluating the neonatal brain. Three-dimensional neurosonography allows imaging of the entire brain in a single volumetric sweep and offers the capability of reconstructing images in the axial plane and performing volumetric analyses that are unavailable in conventional two-dimensional neurosonography. The purpose of this article is two-fold: (1) to present the technical aspects of three-dimensional neurosonography and (2) to illustrate the potential applications of three-dimensional neurosonography in the context of commonly encountered neonatal neuropathology.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the following sonographers for their assistance in performing 3-D neurosonography: Kathleen Corcoran, Constance Santini, Stella Kohen, Carolina Charriez, Barbara Morris, Manal Mejalli, Emilly Reis, Yue Guo, Theresa Marino, Maria Acosta, Alexandra Cato and Herpreet Singh.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 111 East 210th St., Bronx, NY, 10467, USA

    Jessica Kurian, Susan Sotardi, Mark C. Liszewski, William A. Gomes, Thomas Hoffman & Benjamin H. Taragin

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  1. Jessica Kurian
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  2. Susan Sotardi
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  3. Mark C. Liszewski
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  4. William A. Gomes
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  5. Thomas Hoffman
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Correspondence to Jessica Kurian.

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Kurian, J., Sotardi, S., Liszewski, M.C. et al. Three-dimensional ultrasound of the neonatal brain: technical approach and spectrum of disease. Pediatr Radiol 47, 613–627 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-016-3753-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-016-3753-1

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