A retrospective review of 2,320 neonatal cranial sonograms obtained in 1,324 patients identified 25 patients with areas of echogenicity in their thalami and basal ganglia that were of a linear or branching linear distribution. Four of these patients had cytomegalovirus infection. Other major diagnoses encountered included Down syndrome, trisomy 13 syndrome, neonatal asphyxia, non-immune hydrops, and fetal alcohol syndrome. Results of the study suggest a broader etiologic basis for linear areas of echogenicity in the basal ganglia and thalami of children than has previously been reported. These patients warrant complete screening for possible in utero infection and perhaps also chromosomal analysis.