Bacterial meningitis in neonates and infants – the sonographic picture
Bacterial meningitis is a major diagnostic and therapeutic problem among children and neonates, with severe, rapidly progressing course and potentially life-threatening complications. Early antibacterial treatment is essential for the patient’s favorable prognosis. Cerebral imaging plays an impor...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sciendo
2018-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Ultrasonography |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://jultrason.pl/index.php/issues/volume-18-no-72/bacterial-meningitis-in-neonates-and-infants-the-sonographic-picture?aid=587 |
| Summary: | Bacterial meningitis is a major diagnostic and therapeutic problem among children and neonates,
with severe, rapidly progressing course and potentially life-threatening complications.
Early antibacterial treatment is essential for the patient’s favorable prognosis. Cerebral imaging
plays an important role in the diagnostic process alongside physical examination and
laboratory tests. Magnetic resonance imaging is the gold standard for diagnosing bacterial
meningitis. Because of limited availability of magnetic resonance imaging, cranial ultrasound
is the first imaging procedure to be performed (if the anterior fontanelle is preserved providing
an adequate acoustic window). The safety and reliability of ultrasound examination, possibility
to perform the examination at bedside without the need for sedation make cranial ultrasound
a useful tool both for preliminary diagnostic investigation and for the monitoring of both treatment
and long-term complications. Sonographic findings in patients with bacterial meningitis
and possible complications are diverse. Changes can be seen on the surface of the brain, in the
extra-axial space, in the ventricular system and in brain tissue. In some cases they can also be
visible in the lumbosacral segment of the spinal cord. This paper presents ultrasound characteristics
of lesions associated with bacterial meningitis in neonates and infants, based on the
authors’ own material and data from the available literature. |
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| ISSN: | 2084-8404 2451-070X |