Intracranial compliance in infants: evaluation with Doppler US

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Updated: Nov 9, 2026

State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
10:02

State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates

Published on: February 2, 2015

G A Taylor1, M D Phillips, R N Ichord

  • 1Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21287.

Radiology
|June 1, 1994
PubMed

Insights

Graded fontanelle compression during Doppler ultrasound effectively identifies altered cranial compliance in infants. This method shows significant changes in blood flow parameters in infants with abnormal compliance, unlike healthy infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal neurology
  • Pediatric neuroimaging
  • Cranial compliance assessment

Background:

  • Assessing cranial compliance in infants is crucial for managing neurological conditions.
  • Current methods for evaluating intracranial volume and compliance can be limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of graded fontanelle compression during Doppler ultrasound (US) for identifying and monitoring infants with altered cranial compliance.
  • To compare the diagnostic utility of this technique against existing methods.

Main Methods:

  • An ophthalmodynamometer applied graded pressure to the anterior fontanelle during middle cerebral artery Doppler US.
  • Resistive index (RI) and time-averaged mean velocities (TAV) were measured at varying pressures in healthy term/premature infants and those with suspected abnormal cranial compliance.
  • Sixty examinations were conducted across 43 infants.

Main Results:

  • Baseline RI was significantly lower in healthy term infants compared to healthy premature infants and those with abnormal compliance.
  • RI and TAV showed significant changes with compression in infants with abnormal cranial compliance, but not in healthy infants.
  • Values for healthy premature infants and those with abnormal compliance were initially indistinguishable.

Conclusions:

  • Graded fontanelle compression during Doppler US is a promising method for evaluating infant cranial compliance.
  • This technique may offer advantages over isolated middle cerebral artery RI measurements for assessing altered cranial compliance in neonates.
Abstract

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