Central venous silastic catheters in newborns and children: localization by sonography and radiology

Central venous catheters are commonly used in neonatal and pediatric intensive care. Sonographic catheter localization is a technique without any known detrimental side effect. The positioning of silastic central venous catheters in two different diameters used in critical newborns and children was examined by sonography in this study. The sonographic findings were compared with the corresponding radiographic results. Even the very thin catheters could be easily detected due to their strong echoes. Results of forty catheter positions, including malpositions, demonstrate accuracy and practicability of this technique. Sonography may become an alternative examination to reduce the frequency of control radiography.