Ultrasound of the fontanel in infants

It is recommended to provide the doctor with previous test results.

No

Transcranial ultrasound allows assessment of normal anatomy and intracranial pathology in newborns and infants. This examination does not require any preparation of the child, it gives the opportunity to quickly assess the morphological state of the brain structures and the ventricular system. It is used to detect some postnatal complications, e.g. hemorrhages, disorders of cerebrospinal fluid circulation (hydrocephalus), congenital malformations of the brain and brain tumors, which are rare in newborns and infants.
Ultrasound should be performed in every newborn and infant, especially in premature infants, in infants with disproportion of head circumference to chest circumference, seizures and abnormal neurological symptoms, with suspected meningitis.
In practice, the test can be performed in infants up to 6-8 months of age, that is, until the anterior fontanel is overgrown.
The test takes a few minutes, is a painless, non-invasive and safe examination. It can be repeated.

• low birth weight (less than 2,500 g),
• difficult and prolonged labor,
• low Apgar score,
• abnormalities in neurological examinations,
• suspected congenital defect of the central nervous system,
• Newborns born before 37 weeks of gestation,
• The baby's hypoxia during birth,
• suspected intracranial bleeding,
• excessive growth of the head circumference (suspected hydrocephalus).