Ultrasound screening of the child (brain, heart, ENT)
Ultrasound screening of a child (brain, heart, OCP) is a study that allows you to assess the general condition and functionality of the organs of the abdominal cavity, brain and heart.
Ultrasound examination of the brain (neurosonography) is carried out while the baby's head is open, sometimes it can be done a little later through some areas of the bones of the skull, where they are thinner and transmit ultrasound waves, but in this case the structure of the brain is much worse. The study makes it possible to see the structures of the brain, assess the state of blood flow and lymph flow. The child should be calm.
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Indications for neurosonography are:
- prematurity (especially childbirth before 32 weeks of pregnancy with a body weight of less than 1500 g);
- neurological symptoms of brain damage;
- inflammatory diseases of the brain;
- traumatic brain damage;
- hypoxic-ischemic lesions (conditions when the child's brain experienced a lack of oxygen);
- stigmas of dysembryogenesis (change in the number of fingers or toes, sandal-like foot, cleft lip, hard or soft palate, etc.).
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Ultrasound of the heart (echocardiography)
Ultrasound of the heart (echocardiography) and includes ultrasound of the valves, cavities and internal structures of the heart, intracardiac blood flow, examination of the root and arch of the aorta, valve and branches of the pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins and coronary vessels. Indications for an echocardiogram are the presence of heart murmurs, cyanosis (blueness) of the child's skin, cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle when crying in a newborn, and pediatricians' suspicions of heart disease.
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Ultrasound of abdominal organs
Examination of the organs of the abdominal cavity and retroperitoneal space includes ultrasound of the liver, gall bladder, spleen, pancreas, and retroperitoneal space. Ultrasound of the kidneys, bladder and ureters is often allocated to a separate study, which is appropriate for diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract.
If your baby was born on time, there were no problems during childbirth and everything went well in the first days of the child's life, then it is advisable to do the following in 1-1.5 months:- neurosonography;
- Ultrasound of hip joints;
- Ultrasound of the abdomen, kidneys and pelvis;
- echocardiography.
It is in 1-1.5 months that deviations that are not visible in the first days of life can be noticed and detected. As already mentioned, ultrasound examination is completely harmless, so the number and frequency of ultrasound is not limited, and one organ can be examined up to several times during the day, for example, in case of injury to internal organs. In the future, if your child has already undergone a full ultrasound and no pathology was detected, then there is no need to examine her more than once a year as a preventive measure.
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Preparation for ultrasound screening of the child
Abdominal ultrasound, neurosonography and echocardiography do not require special training. However, parents must be ready to answer the doctor's questions about the exact height and weight of the child - this is necessary for calculating the size of the organ. Also, the task of parents is to calm the child and explain that no one will hurt him, he just needs to lie down calmly. And babies can be examined while they are sleeping.
Abdominal organs: liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen are examined strictly on an empty stomach, because otherwise it is impossible to reliably assess the condition of the gallbladder, fragments of the stomach walls, as well as parts of the organs shielded by the contents of the stomach, primarily the pancreas and part of the stomach. So, preparation for ultrasound of the above organs includes the basic rules: before the ultrasound, you should not drink, eat, brush your teeth, take medications, chew gum, or suck on candy. If your child has a disease that requires hourly medication, notify the doctor and the ultrasound specialist who is referring you.