Cranial ultrasound uses reflected sound waves to produce
pictures of the brain and the inner fluid chambers (ventricles)
through which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flows. This test is most
commonly done on babies to evaluate complications of premature
birth. In adults, cranial ultrasound may be done to visualize
brain masses during brain surgery. Ultrasound waves cannot pass
through bones, so an ultrasound to evaluate the brain cannot be
done after the bones of the skull (cranium) have grown together.
Cranial ultrasound can be done on babies before the bones of the
skull have grown together or on adults after the skull has been
surgically opened. It may be used to evaluate problems in the
brain and ventricles in babies up to about 18 months old.
Cranial ultrasound for babies Complications of premature birth
include bleeding in the brain (intraventricular hemorrhage, or
IVH) and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). PVL is a condition
in which the brain tissue around the ventricles is damaged,
possibly from decreas