[Efficiency of imaging methods for the diagnosis of some congenital defects in neonates: personal experience]

The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of imaging methods for the diagnosis of some congenital defects in neonates.

Seventy neonates aged 1 to 30 days, referred to the Department of Pediatric and Oncologic Surgery, Pomeranian Medical University, were examined at the Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology. Clinical data were analyzed and the imaging method was chosen depending on the clinical symptoms of the defect.

The following defects were diagnosed: gastrointestinal tract defects in 41 neonates (58.5%), urinary tract defects in 21 neonates (30%), other defects in eight neonates (11.5%) including ovarian cyst in four, lung cyst in three, and tumor in the sacrococcygeal region in one neonate. The choice of imaging modality was determined by the kind of defect deduced on the basis of clinical examination. Ultrasonography was performed in all 70 neonates (2-3 times in 25 cases). Radiography was performed in 49 cases, including CT in four cases. Defects in the gastrointestinal tract were disclosed in most cases except for three of the neonates (7%) in whom the cause of ileus remained unknown until surgery when the cause was established (enterogenic cyst in two and intestinal sequestration in one neonate). Urinary tract anomalies, ovarian cysts, lung cysts, and tumor in the

The efficiency of imaging methods in our hands was very high thanks to good cooperation between the surgeon and the radiologist. Diagnostic accuracy depends on the kind of anomaly. In neonates with urinary tract defects, follow-up examinations preceding planned surgery are essential for a good therapeutic outcome.