Background: Neonatal Care in India is advancing at an impressive pace leading to improved survival of preterm neonates. Due to their anatomical and physiological immaturity, they are prone to develop ischemic and hemorrhagic injuries of the brain. Cranial Ultrasonography has become an essential diagnostic tool that uses fontanelles as windows to “look into the brain”. It is cheap, easy to perform, non-invasive and convenient. Single study done early on in life helps detect certain pathologies but may miss certain diagnoses. Hence this study was undertaken to study the pattern of screening Cranial Ultrasonography for preterm neonates

Method: The study was a prospective observational study conducted in a tertiary care centre with 80 preterm neonates between 36 to 40 weeks of gestation. USG Skull was done between Day 7 to Day 14 of life and repeated at 36 to 40 weeks gestational age.

Results: In the second USG, one neonate each with IVH, PVL and cerebral edema was found; which were considered normal in the previous USG. This was found to be statistically significant. Abnormal USG Skull findings have strong association with mortality.

Conclusion: Substantial number of preterm neonates have abnormal cranial ultrasound findings and when repeated may help identify the at risk infants for subsequent early intervention and Long term follow-up and subsequent therapeutic intervention.

Keywords: Usg skull, preterm, IVH, screening.

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Dr Pai Ashutosh A,

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