Intracerebellar hemorrhage in a premature newborn: diagnosis by real-time ultrasound and correlation with autopsy findings

Abstract

The identification of intracerebellar hemorrhage in a living premature infant by real-time ultrasound scan and confirmation of the findings at autopsy are described. This represents the first demonstration of the value of this noninvasive, convenient, and safe means of brain imaging in diagnosis of this lesion. Previous studies have described the role of the computed tomography (CT) scan in identification of intracerebellar hemorrhage in the newborn. Because infants with intracerebellar hemorrhage are usually critically ill, a means of identification of the lesion that could be utilized at the bedside rather than an approach that requires transport to a CT scanner is needed. This study indicates that portable real-time ultrasound scanning can satisfy that need.