[Value of brain sonography in newborns and children (author's transl)]

Intracranial changes of newborns and young children can easily be discovered by modern sonography, especially as long as fontanelles are still open. Sonography of brain first should be done before computed tomography, encephalography and/or ventriculography are performed. Correspondence of most sonographic findings and computed tomography by other authors, is supporting reduction of CT-investigations in favour of sonography. We cannot agree with the idea that computed tomography should be the most important first investigation. Technical reasons as thick skull or closed fontanelles are making sonography impossible and computer tomography should be used. Special examples out of about 1100 Sonograms of skulls of children are demonstrating, that sonography of newborns and children is the method, which is cheap, without risk, less time consuming, and without any radiation stress.