Imaging the premature brain: ultrasound or MRI?

Neuroradiology. 2013 Sep:55 Suppl 2:13-22. doi: 10.1007/s00234-013-1233-y. Epub 2013 Jul 10.

Abstract

Neuroimaging of preterm infants has become part of routine clinical care, but the question is often raised on how often cranial ultrasound should be done and whether every high risk preterm infant should at least have one MRI during the neonatal period. An increasing number of centres perform an MRI either at discharge or around term equivalent age, and a few centres have access to a magnet in or adjacent to the neonatal intensive care unit and are doing sequential MRIs. In this review, we try to discuss when best to perform these two neuroimaging techniques and the additional information each technique may provide.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Brain / pathology*
  • Brain Diseases / diagnostic imaging*
  • Echoencephalography / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant, Premature
  • Infant, Premature, Diseases / diagnostic imaging*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Neonatal Screening / methods*
  • Neuroimaging / methods*
  • Prognosis
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity