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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
Published on: February 2, 2015
Ultrasound evaluation of brain parenchyma in preterm infants with prenatal opioid exposure
Patrick Tivnan1,2, Bindu N Setty3, Eileen Howard4
1Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. ptivnan1@jh.edu.
Insights
Preterm infants exposed to opioids before birth showed smaller brain sizes on head ultrasounds. This prenatal opioid exposure may increase risks for neurodevelopmental issues in these vulnerable infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal neuroscience
- Developmental pediatrics
- Prenatal substance exposure research
Background:
- Prenatal opioid exposure is a growing concern in neonatal care.
- Understanding the impact on infant brain development is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in brain size among preterm infants with and without prenatal opioid exposure using head ultrasounds.
- To identify specific brain regions affected by prenatal opioid exposure.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of preterm infants (≤34 weeks) with prenatal opioid exposure (n=47) and matched non-exposed controls (n=62) were studied.
- Early head ultrasounds (HUS) were performed, and fifteen distinct brain measurements were analyzed.
- Linear regression models were employed to assess differences in brain measurements between the groups.
Main Results:
- Opioid-exposed infants exhibited significantly smaller measurements in several brain regions.
- Key areas with reduced size included the right and left ventricular indices, basal ganglia insula (bilateral), corpus callosum fastigium, intracranial height, and transcerebellar measurements.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants with prenatal opioid exposure demonstrate reduced brain size compared to their non-exposed peers.
- These findings suggest a potential increased risk for neurodevelopmental abnormalities in infants with prenatal opioid exposure.
Objective:
To evaluate whether preterm infants with prenatal opioid exposure had differences in brain size on head ultrasounds (HUS) in comparison to non-exposed infants.
Study Design:
Preterm infants ≤34 weeks with prenatal opioid exposure (n = 47) and matched non-exposed infants (n = 62) with early HUSs were examined. Fifteen brain measurements were made and linear regression models performed to evaluate differences.
Results:
Brain measurements were smaller in the right ventricular index [β = -0.18 mm (95% CI -0.32, -0.03]), left ventricular index [β = -0.04 mm (95% CI -0.08, -0.003)], left basal ganglia insula [β = -0.10 mm (95% CI -0.15, -0.04)], right basal ganglia insula [β = -0.08 mm (95% CI -0.14, -0.03)], corpus callosum fastigium length [β = -0.16 mm (95% CI -0.25, -0.06)], intracranial height index [β = -0.31 mm (95% CI -0.44, -0.18)], and transcerebellar measurements [β = -0.13 (95% CI -0.25, -0.02)] in the opioid-exposed group.
Conclusions:
Preterm infants with prenatal opioid exposure have smaller brain sizes compared to non-exposed infants, potentially increasing their risk for neurodevelopmental abnormalities.
