[Ultrasonographic (B-scan) studies of the skull in childhood (author's transl)]

The technical and diagnostic possibilities of two-dimensional echoencephalography in newborns and infants are described. The technique is simple, easy to carry out and avoids irradiation. Real-time ultrasound gives a quick general view of the ventricular system while the details are best performed with a compound scan procedure, 310 investigations in 93 patients are analysed and presented. Sonography should now be the first investigation in infants with possible intracranial lesions. The investigation is particularly valuable in the post-operative control and follow-up of treated hydrocephalus. The most important limitation of the technique is the increasing sound deflection as the ossification of the skull proceeds.