[Value of echoencephalography through the fontanelle in neonates and infants (author's transl)]

Echoencephalography through the fontanelle provides a complete scan of the head allowing the study of the ventricular system and cerebral parenchyma. The closure of the anterior fontanelle is the only limiting factor for this remarkably innocuous technique which is easy to perform (even in neonates under artificial ventilation in incubators), easy to repeat and relatively cheap. The authors report the results of 700 ultrasonic examinations carried out in 467 children. The echostructure of the brain, is studied in detail in 70 normal subjects (30 prematures, 31 at term neonates and infants under 1 year of age). In a population of 397 sick children the abnormal pictures were analysed according to clinical circumstances: perinatal distress (n = 107), prematurity (n = 81), hydrocephalus (n = 31), malformations (n = 9)... Our results confirm the usefulness of this technique for the early anatomic evaluation of any high-risk brain and for the follow-up of the lesions. The respective values of echography through the fontanelle, transcranial echography and computed tomography are discussed.