[Brain ultrasonography in diagnosis of intrauterine infections and of neonatal chromosomal disorders].

Ultrasonography of the brain is a primary, frequently used technique for the diagnosis of brain lesions in the neonate. Echogenic blood vessels in the thalamus and basal nuclei are an unusual finding in an ultrasonographic homogeneous area. We describe 2 neonates with echogenic blood vessels in this area who are, to our knowledge, the first such cases described in Israel: 1 with trisomy 13 and the other with a congenital cytomegalovirus infection. We focus pediatric attention on this simple, readily available method for diagnosing intrauterine infections and chromosomal aberrations in the neonate.