Ultrasonographic findings (CNS, thorax, abdomen) in infants undergoing extracorporeal oxygenation therapy

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been performed on 45 neonates at the Children's Hospital of Michigan in a 39-month period. Ultrasound evaluation of these patients prior to and during ECMO therapy has demonstrated abnormalities in the central nervous system including intracranial hemorrhage (21), extra-axial fluid collections (5), and ventricular enlargement (2). Ultrasonic evaluation of the thoracic cavity in 12 infants revealed pleural fluid in 8. There were seven children with varying types of peritoneal fluid. Two children had visceral abnormalities - 1 with liver hemorrhage and 1 with hydronephrosis found prior to ECMO. Most of these findings could not have been diagnosed without ultrasound and may lead directly to alterations in clinical management. Ultrasound is an extension of physical examination which is important in hour-by-hour clinical care of patients on ECMO.