Imaging perinatal brain injury in premature infants.

The primary methods currently in use for imaging the infant brain are cranial ultrasound (CUS), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This review outlines the relative strengths and weaknesses of these modalities in relation to the premature infant, with specific focus on the correlations between imaging findings and neurodevelopmental outcome. Since MRI is undergoing rapid development at this time, the newer MRI methods of brain volume measurement and diffusion tensor imaging are reviewed in more detail. Current guidelines regarding the application of these neuroimaging methods to the premature infant are discussed.