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Infant shoulder sonography: technique, anatomy, and pathology.
1Department of Medical Imaging, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, P. O. Box 269, Wilmington, DE 19899, USA. lgrissom@nemours.org
Pediatric Radiology
|December 1, 2001
Summary
Ultrasound effectively evaluates infant shoulder injuries like instability, fracture, and infection. This noninvasive imaging technique aids in diagnosing conditions difficult to detect radiographically in newborns.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Radiology
- Musculoskeletal Ultrasound
- Infant Imaging
Background:
- Radiographic evaluation of infant shoulder injuries from birth trauma or infection can be challenging.
- Shoulder ultrasound offers a dynamic, noninvasive alternative for assessing infant shoulder pathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and refine a multiplanar, dynamic ultrasound technique for infant shoulder evaluation.
- To demonstrate the successful identification of various shoulder pathologies in infants using ultrasound.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 24 normal and 12 symptomatic infants (3 days to 9 months) underwent shoulder ultrasound.
- A multiplanar, dynamic imaging approach was employed to examine 49 infant shoulders.
Main Results:
- Ultrasound revealed normal findings in 41 shoulders and abnormalities in 8.
- Detected abnormalities included subluxation, fracture, abnormal cartilage, soft-tissue masses, and inflammatory collections like effusion.
Conclusions:
- Ultrasound is a successful modality for evaluating the infant shoulder.
- The technique can reliably diagnose instability, fractures, and infections in the infant shoulder.