Abstract:
Objective
To investigate the application value of bedside cranial ultrasound in the diagnosis of premature brain injury.
Methods
Totally 529 preterm infants with gestational age ≤33 weeks in NICU of Suzhou Municipal Hospital were included from January 2015 to June 2016. All of them were examined by bedside cranial ultrasound, and some of them were also examined by cranial MRI or CT as controls.
Results
There were 302 cases of brain injury,including 272 cases of intracranial hemorrhage,60 cases of cerebral white matter injury(38 cases of them were combined with different degree of intracranial hemorrhage),and 14 cases of other brain injury diseases. Totally 56 cases of brain injury were detected by MRI or CT in 183 preterm infants|3 cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage and 1 case of subdural hemorrhage were not detected by cranial ultrasound, and the other 52 cases were in accordance with cranial ultrasound report. The detection rate of cranial MRI and CT was 30.60%(56/183). A total of 298 cases of brain injury were detected by cranial ultrasound. The detection rate of bedside cranial ultrasound examination was 56.33%(298/529),which was significantly higher than that of cranial MRI and CT, the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).The incidence rate of cerebral white matter injury in preterm infants with intracranial hemorrhage was 13.97%(38/272), and that in preterm infants without intracranial hemorrhage was 8.56%(22/257),the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).
Conclusion
Brain injury in premature infants is dynamic. The bedside cranial ultrasound has advantages in early screening and dynamic monitoring. Diagnostic accuracy may be improved if it is combined with MRI or CT.

Key words: Brain injury, Cranial ultrasound, Intracranial hemorrhage, Cerebral white matter injury, Infant, premature