[Ultrasound diagnosis of birth trauma lesion of the cervical spine].

Ultrasonographic imaging in the newborn via a posterior approach allows the visualization of the craniocervical junction. We describe a case presenting with clinical signs of a spinal cord injury after delivery by forceps extraction. The sonographic examination demonstrated an increased cervical cord echogenicity during the first days of life, and a decrease of cord size at the craniocervical junction after 3 weeks. MRI confirmed these findings. Sonography is useful in showing severe spinal cord injury with minimal handling of these severely traumatized neonates.