Cranial Ultrasound

• Because ultrasound cannot penetrate bone, cranial ultrasound can be performed only on babies whose skull (cranial) bones have not yet grown together. But duplex Reference Doppler ultrasound Opens New Window can be done to evaluate blood flow and vessel spasms in the brain in children and adults. For more information, see the topic Reference Doppler Ultrasound.
• Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is not usually detectable until several weeks after birth. For this reason, cranial ultrasound is generally done between 4 and 8 weeks after delivery. Because cranial ultrasound may find suspicious areas in the brain that may or may not be PVL, ultrasound testing may be repeated over several weeks. Babies with PVL or intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) may develop normally or may have varying levels of disability, including Reference cerebral palsy Opens New Window or an Reference intellectual disability Opens New Window.
• Reference Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Opens New Window scanning may be done instead of cranial ultrasound to evaluate PVL or IVH in babies born prematurely. For more information, see the topic Reference Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Head.
• Fetal ultrasound is used during pregnancy to view a Reference fetus Opens New Window and the Reference placenta Opens New Window. For more information about ultrasound during pregnancy, see the topic Reference Fetal Ultrasound.

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