US for Evaluation of Acute Abdominal Conditions in Neonates

Abstract

US is the imaging modality of choice for evaluation of a variety of abdominal conditions, and in recent years it has also become useful and promising as a bedside technique for assessment of acute abdominal conditions in neonates. Bedside US can help, complement, and sometimes replace radiographic or contrast-enhanced studies in critically ill and labile neonates who are difficult to transport to the fluoroscopy suite. Some of the features of bedside US can be applied as point-of-care US (POCUS) of the sick neonate. Some of the abdominal conditions in neonates that can be assessed and monitored with bedside US are necrotizing enterocolitis and its complications, malrotation with a midgut volvulus, segmental volvulus, meconium peritonitis, and complicated inguinal hernia. High-resolution US with the use of 15-MHz and higher-frequency probes allows characterization of the bowel anatomy and features of intestinal abnormalities in neonates in fine detail. Color Doppler US and microvascular imaging improve accuracy in the detection and characterization of bowel vascularity, which is important in the treatment and follow-up of patients with intestinal conditions. © RSNA, 2023 Quiz questions for this article are available through the Online Learning Center. The slide presentation from the RSNA Annual Meeting is available for this article.