Reliability of ultrasound in diagnosis of intracerebral hemorrhage and posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus: comparison with computed tomography.

Subependymal and intraventricular hemorrhage are frequent complications of the high risk preterm infant. It has been stated recently that ultrasound may be used to diagnose intraventricular hemorrhage. A comparative prospective study of ultrasound scan (US) with a commercially available B-mode real time linear array US machine and the computed tomography (CT) scan was undertaken to determine the accuracy of US in diagnosing the presence and quantity of subependymal and intraventricular hemorrhage and in following infants with hemorrhage for the development of progressive hydrocephalus. There were 101 patients followed with serial US examination for evidence of subependymal and/or intraventricular hemorrhage. CT correlation was obtained on each patient. The US examination correlated with the CT scan in 77 of these 101 patients. The demonstration of hydrocephalus by US in eight infants with postthemorrhagic hydrocephalus was reliable, and the correlation with CT scan was excellent.