Comparison of transcranial ultrasound and cranial MRI in evaluations of brain injuries from neonatal asphyxia.

Full-term infants with early-stage brain injuries from asphyxia were examined with two-dimensional ultrasound and color Doppler to assess the use of ultrasound in evaluating early brain injuries after neonatal asphyxia. The sonographic features of ultrasound and color Doppler were compared to those of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ultrasound was used to monitor the brain parenchyma, lateral ventricles, and cerebral hemodynamics in the asphyxia group and full-term control group 24, 48, and 72 h after birth. MRI and diffusion-weight imaging (DWI) were performed within 72 h. Cerebral edema changes were most obvious with ultrasound within 48 h of asphyxia, while the cerebral hemodynamic changes were most obvious within 24 h. These results suggested that ultrasound detected early cerebral edema better than MRI did.