BACKGROUND: In preterm infants with hyaline membrane disease an echo increase above the diaphragm can be demonstrated by parasagittal sonography of the lower thorax using the liver or spleen as an acoustic window.METHODS: In order to study the clinical practicability of this observation we made 145 investigations in 101 infants.RESULTS: The ultrasonographic evidence of an increased echo above the diaphragm could be found in all 85 infants with a clinically defined hyaline membrane disease. Ultrasonographic criteria have proved to be useful and reliable in assessing the severity of hyaline membrane disease. This method is also suitable for documenting the success of surfactant administration.CONCLUSIONS: Using sonography hyaline membrane disease can quickly be differentiated from other pulmonary diseases. Although sonography cannot serve as a substitute for chest X-ray it may be able to give valuable additional information for the differential diagnosis of respiratory disorder in the premature infant.
Artifacts Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia