ABSTRACT
The objective of this retrospective study was to determine the incidence and types
of cranial ultrasound abnormalities in full-term infants with congenital heart disease
(CHD). We reviewed the cranial ultrasound scans of 49 full-term infants with CHD and
compared them to 42 healthy full-term control infants. The relationship of each abnormality
with the type of CHD, the presence of cyanosis, and cardiac catheterization and cardiac
surgery were examined. We found that infants with CHD had a higher incidence of cranial
ultrasound abnormalities than control infants (59% versus 14%; p <0.001). Cerebral
atrophy and linear echodensities in the basal ganglia and thalamus were the most common
sonographic findings in infants with CHD, particularly in those with coarctation of
the aorta or ventricular septal defect. Intraventricular hemorrhage occurred more
often in infants with acryanotic CHD than in those with cyanotic CHD. Cardiac catheterization
and cardiac surgery had no significant effects on cranial ultrasound findings. We
conclude that cranial ultrasound abnormalities are very frequent in full-term infants
with CHD. These findings emphasize the importance of cranial ultrasonography and long-term
neurodevelopmental follow-up of infants with CHD.
Keywords
Cranial ultrasonography - congenital heart disease - cerebral blood flow
