PURPOSE: To determine whether the lumbosacral junction of the vertebral column can be identified with sonography in newborns and infants and thus serve as a method for counting the lumbar and sacral vertebral bodies. METHODS: In 32 newborns and infants, the number of ossified vertebral bodies distal to the lumbosacral junction was counted with sonography and radiography. RESULTS: Sonographic and radiographic findings agreed in 29 of 32 examinations (91%). CONCLUSIONS: The lordotic transition at the lumbosacral junction can be identified with sonography in the majority of newborns and infants, allowing intraspinal structures to be related to a specific vertebral level.
PURPOSE: To determine whether the lumbosacral junction of the vertebral column can be identified with sonography in newborns and infants and thus serve as a method for counting the lumbar and sacral vertebral bodies. METHODS: In 32 newborns and infants, the number of ossified vertebral bodies distal to the lumbosacral junction was counted with sonography and radiography. RESULTS: Sonographic and radiographic findings agreed in 29 of 32 examinations (91%). CONCLUSIONS: The lordotic transition at the lumbosacral junction can be identified with sonography in the majority of newborns and infants, allowing intraspinal structures to be related to a specific vertebral level.