New applications of conventional and Doppler sonography in pediatrics

Sonography is assuming an increasingly dynamic role in pediatric diagnosis. The small size of the patient and the use of short-focus, higher frequency transducers, coupled with continuous improvement in sonographic equipment, provide remarkably detailed images. The introduction of Doppler technology has catapulted sonography from the realm of purely anatomic information to that of physiologic and angiographic data. In neurosonography, there has been refinement of the nomenclature, quantification, and prognosis of intracranial hemorrhage and ischemic disorders. Doppler technology has helped us in understanding the vascular dynamics that occur after acute interruption of right internal carotid flow in patients who undergo extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. In abdominal diagnosis, sonography is also playing an increasingly important role in assessing both gastrointestinal and renal conditions. This review outlines some of the important concepts underlying pediatric sonography today and reviews some salient contributions of recent literature.