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Updated: Mar 24, 2026
State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
Published on: February 2, 2015
A New Ultrasound Marker for Bedside Monitoring of Preterm Brain Growth
J A Roelants1, I V Koning2, M M A Raets3
1From the Division of Neonatology (J.A.R., M.M.A.R., I.K.M.R., M.J.V., P.G., J.D.) Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology (J.A.R., I.V.K., S.P.W., R.P.M.S.-T.).
Background And Purpose:
Preterm neonates are at risk for neurodevelopmental impairment, but reliable, bedside-available markers to monitor preterm brain growth during hospital stay are still lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of corpus callosum-fastigium length as a new cranial sonography marker for monitoring of preterm brain growth.
Materials And Methods:
In this longitudinal prospective cohort study, cranial ultrasound was planned on the day of birth, days 1, 2, 3, and 7 of life; and then weekly until discharge in preterm infants born before 29 weeks of gestational age. Reproducibility and associations between clinical variables and corpus callosum-fastigium growth trajectories were studied.
Results:
A series of 1-8 cranial ultrasounds was performed in 140 infants (median gestational age at birth, 27(+2) weeks (interquartile range, 26(+1) to 28(+1); 57.9% male infants). Corpus callosum-fastigium measurements showed good-to-excellent agreement for inter- and intraobserver reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.89). Growth charts for preterm infants between 24 and 32 weeks of gestation were developed. Male sex and birth weight SD score were positively associated with corpus callosum-fastigium growth rate.
Conclusions:
Corpus callosum-fastigium length measurement is a new reproducible marker applicable for bedside monitoring of preterm brain growth during neonatal intensive care stay.
