Sonography of the postoperative brain: a report on 2 years of experience

Thirty-seven patients were examined by post-operative high resolution real-time ultrasound over a period of 2 years. Useful data were obtained in all cases but the quality of information obtained was directly related to the size of the cranial window. In each patient, the first sonogram was performed during the 10th to 12th postoperative day to assess ventricular size and midline shift and any fluid collections present. This initial sonogram then served as a baseline study for further follow-up. Subsequent sonograms provided different information about tumor response to chemotherapy and/or irradiation, information not readily obtained by computed tomography.