A safe way to diagnose: ultrasound of the brain for children. Ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck for a child Make Doppler of the vessels of the head and neck for children

The brain is responsible for coordinating the work of the entire body. A reliable way to obtain information about the structure and functioning of the brain structures of an infant, to conduct NSG / neurosonography / of the brain with the determination of the nature of blood flow in the vessels / ultrasound /

Currently, almost all children undergo NSG in the maternity hospital as a screening method.

To control the dynamics of the development of the baby and developmental disorders of the brain, a second study is recommended in order to exclude congenital or acquired abnormalities. This is especially true for children from the group of premature, underweight, immature by the gestational age.

Indications for NSG and UZDG:

intrauterine malnutrition;
intrauterine infections;
malformations of the brain, previously identified;
pathology in hypoxic, ischemic, toxic and metabolic disorders of the brain;
birth injuries of the brain and spinal cord;
convulsions and other symptoms of neurological diseases;
multiple malformations of organs and systems;
genetic diseases.

To assess the blood circulation of the brain in children after the "closure" of the fontanel, a modern ultrasound technique is used - transcranial dopplerography. In some cases, this technique allows you to clarify the cause of headache in children (angiospasm, increased intracranial pressure). Transcranial dopplerography allows you to examine the large vessels of the head and neck, see the lumen of the vessel, the degree of patency of the veins and arteries. This method is absolutely painless and has no contraindications, which makes this procedure possible for small children.

Dopplerography is used to check the condition of the vessels. This rather new and effective method allows to detect many diseases even at early stages. Dopplerography of the vessels of the head for children, made at the clinic "Human Health", will help to detect pathologies of the veins and arteries, and an experienced doctor will make a diagnosis and select the appropriate treatment.

Dopplerography of the vessels of the head and neck for children - what is it and why is it needed?

The method is based on the Doppler effect. The device emits ultrasonic waves. They are reflected from moving objects - in this case, it is blood flowing in the vessels. In this case, the waves change their characteristics. The device captures the reflected pulses, processes them and analyzes them. Based on the data obtained, the doctor draws conclusions about whether the blood flow rate corresponds to normal. With the help of dopplerography, you can identify:

pathologies of the walls of blood vessels (congenital, hypertonicity, hypotonicity, elasticity disorders);
patency of veins and arteries (stenosis, thrombosis, blockage);
, neoplasms, anatomical changes.

This method of studying vessels compares favorably with those used previously:

He is non-invasive. The patient does not need to be injected with contrast fluids to see changes in blood flow.
It is not harmful to health. X-ray examination should not be done frequently. Dopplerography is prescribed as many times as necessary to monitor the dynamics of the disease.

Your doctor will refer you for testing if your child has:

tinnitus and dizziness;
poor memory, trouble concentrating;
headache;
frequent mood swings - the baby is naughty, becomes irritable;
insomnia;
there are moments of confusion, disorientation;
sometimes vision deteriorates, “flies” appear in the eyes;
numb hands and feet;
delays in the development of speech;
there is a disease that provokes pathological changes in blood vessels: vasculitis, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, etc .;
had a head or neck injury;
constriction of one pupil or drooping of the eyelid.

These symptoms may indicate damage to the vessels of the neck and brain. Examination will allow to identify the disease in time and begin treatment.

How is Dopplerography of the vessels of the neck of the child and the study of the vessels of the head performed?

To get tested, please contact Human Health. The medical center is located in Moscow, in SVAO. It can be reached by car or by subway. You need to get off at the Otradnoye, Bibirevo or Vladykino stations.

During the examination, the doctor:

Ask the child to lie down on the couch.
Apply a special conductive gel to it.
Fix the sensors on the skin and examine the necessary vessels.

The doctor will then complete the form and give it to you. The attending physician deciphers the result of the examination.

Ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck for children of all ages

Doppler ultrasound is based on the fact that the ultrasound of diagnostic equipment reacts to moving erythrocytes in the patient's blood and thus gives an idea of the intensity of blood flow, vascular lumen and many other parameters. The information content of the examination is quite high, however, if necessary, dopplerography of the vessels of the head and neck of the child can be supplemented by duplex scanning. Dopplerography of the vessels of the head and neck can be performed on a child at any age, since this study does not require prolonged immobility. The anatomy of an adult and a child has certain differences, so the doctor who performs ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck of a child must know the characteristics of blood flow in the child's body.

Indications for Dopplerography of the vessels of the head and neck in children

Dopplerography of cerebral vessels in children is an optional procedure, so it is carried out as directed by a doctor. In order to understand whether this study is necessary, the doctor must know the overall clinical picture and pay attention to alarming symptoms that may be signs of vascular problems.

Headache

The causes of headaches in a child can be both hypertension and trauma. With them, children have a risk of vascular deformity, which will be clearly visible on the ultrasound scan of the head, if it occurs.

restlessness

Restlessness and hyperactivity of the child can also be indications for, since these symptoms often occur as a result of damage to the central nervous system. Evaluation of vascular performance helps to identify possible damage and adjust treatment.

The child gets tired quickly

The cause of increased fatigue, which does not allow the child to learn and develop normally, may be increased intracranial pressure. This affects the quality of blood circulation in the brain and neck, so vascular dopplerography will be the most informative procedure for determining the causes of this condition in a child.

Memory and attention disorders

This is one of the symptoms of attention deficit disorder and other disorders that require a deep investigation of the causes. It is possible that memory and attention disorders in a child occur due to insufficient blood supply to the brain, and ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck will help to exclude or confirm this.

Delays in the development of speech

The most common cause of delayed speech development in a child is minimal brain dysfunction, which can be caused by both birth and postpartum trauma and hypoxia. With organic brain dysfunction in children, ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck will be the surest way to determine the degree of damage.

Preparation for the procedure

Ultrasound examination of the vessels of the head and neck requires, first of all, the psychological preparation of the child: it is necessary to explain to him that this is a painless procedure and tell in detail about how it is carried out. Also, in front of her, children can be shown videos and reviews about ultrasound of the vessels of the head. If the child takes vascular drugs due to illness, they must be abandoned in order for the results of the study to be reliable.

How is the research going?

Ultrasound examination of the vessels of the head and neck for children is done in the ultrasound diagnostic rooms. In order to examine the vessels of the head, the child will be asked to lie down on a couch, his neck and head should be freed from clothing and jewelry. Transcranial vessels of the head during ultrasound are examined with a sensor in the back of the head, temples and eyes, which the child needs to be told about in advance. In order to examine the vessels of the neck, the patient must lie on his stomach. and the neck of the baby is done with the help of parents who hold the baby in such a way as to ensure that he is immobile.

Deciphering the results

The results are interpreted by the sonologist who conducts the examination. Usually he reports what he sees on the monitor to the parents and enters the resulting testimony in the conclusion. Subsequently, the conclusion must be transferred to the attending physician. It is worth noting that deciphering the results of ultrasound examination of the vessels of the head and neck and making a diagnosis are not the same thing; the attending physician makes the final conclusions about the health of the child. If necessary, a deeper study, such as an MRI, may be prescribed.

Contraindications for holding

Ultrasound is one of the ultrasound methods that is widely available and well mastered by modern medicine. Ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck can be done to a child at any age and condition, since ultrasound is completely safe and has no contraindications. No wonder it is regularly prescribed to pregnant women to study the fetal heartbeat. Ultrasound examination can be difficult in the presence of a significant body fat in the patient's body, but such problems do not arise with children.

For children, ultrasound (ultrasound) is a fairly comfortable and not too long procedure. The undoubted advantage is that for its implementation, the patient does not need to be in a dark room and put on a lot of sensors. Preparation for the procedure is almost not needed, it also cannot cause negative consequences. It can be used to examine the soft tissues and internal organs of the patient, including the brain.

Quite often, ultrasound is prescribed for newborns in order to immediately identify various pathologies in the early stages of development.

There are three main types of ultrasound:

Doppler ultrasound (USDG) represents , heads, etc. The main goal is to determine the patency of the vessel.
Duplex ultrasound It has such a name due to the fact that it includes two main functions - the assessment of the blood flow velocity of the vessels and the study of their anatomy. Briefly, this method provides visualization of blood clots, plaques, thickening of the vessel walls and their tortuosity.
At triplex scanning on the screen you can see the vessel against the background of tissues. In this case, mapping occurs, in other words, the vessel acquires different colors.

Indications for diagnosis in children under one year old

Ultrasound is prescribed for babies from the very first days of life. Usually prescribed in the hospital. What does this study show in children?

The indicators for neurosonography are as follows:

premature baby;
delayed pregnancy;
primary signs of damage to the nervous system (delayed psychomotor development, convulsions, etc.);
birth trauma in babies;
congenital malformations of the brain;
syndrome of respiratory disorders, etc.

Important! In these cases, the procedure for the child can be carried out even on the first day after birth.

The study can be carried out when the child is sleeping. If the baby is not sleeping, before the procedure, you need to calm him down, feed him and give him a toy. The procedure is not accompanied by medical treatment.

Reference! The average price of neurosonography in Moscow is 1917 rubles. In numerous clinics, the price can be different, starting from 480 rubles. With dopplerography, it will be slightly higher. The duration of the study is 10-15 minutes.

For any parent, early detection of pathology is important, and neurosonography provides indispensable assistance in this. The procedure can be supplemented by dopplerography in special cases.

Indications for ultrasound examination:

transfer of intrauterine infection;
difficult childbirth, which was accompanied by auxiliary means;
premature baby;
possible intracranial pressure;
state of fainting;
possible congenital aneurysm;
birth trauma;
possible intracranial bleeding;
having diabetes and being overweight.

Many doctors believe that this procedure should be carried out for all babies up to a year for prevention, despite the presence of indications.

If the diagnosis is carried out on time, you can not only learn about the pathology, but also immediately begin treatment (if possible).

There are diseases that are easy to cure at an early age, but in older children the situation can become much more complicated.

Attention! Without diagnosis, there is a risk of missing the first symptoms of cerebral palsy or developing hydrocephalus.

Indications for ultrasound of the head of a child after a year

By the age of two, almost all babies have a large fontanel overgrown, which excludes the possibility of neurosonography. Despite this, the need for an ultrasound examination may appear.

Children after 1 year are usually prescribed dopplerography of intra- and extranial vessels as an independent procedure or together with ultrasound (duplex scanning). The main indications of a neurologist for carrying out:

Severe and frequent headaches;
state of fainting;
Violations of any cognitive functions (problems with memory, speech, etc.);
Problems in the manifestation of emotions (excessive irritability, frequent tearfulness, etc.);
Increased drowsiness or insomnia;
Diabetes, high blood pressure, immunological and inflammatory vascular pathologies;
Paresthesia of the skin of the neck and head (tingling, burning sensation, etc.)

If any of the listed symptoms is detected, it may be a signal of the initial stage of the pathology of cerebral circulation. In the event that there are several of these symptoms, you should immediately contact a medical institution for help.

Studies will help identify vegetative-vascular dystonia (VVD), neurocirculatory dystonia (NDC), migraine, epilepsy, logoneurosis, etc. In particular, it is possible to diagnose some forms of visual and hearing impairment.

Important! Such symptoms are most often manifested in school-age children due to the fact that the mental load increases several times and the onset of puberty occurs.

Early osteochondrosis and incorrect posture can serve as the basis for the appearance of some symptoms.

Features of the

The patient during the ultrasound is in a supine position, he is applied to the necessary areas of the gel. On the monitor, the doctor sees the readings of the vessels of the brain, neck and head tissues, as well as the shoulder girdle. This helps to track the state of the child at the current moment.

No negative consequences of the procedure were found, there is no risk of skin damage, there are no sharp sounds that can frighten the baby.

How to prepare a child for research?

In a medical institution, preparing for the procedure is quite simple - in order to put the child on the couch, you need to take a diaper with you. Also bring wipes to remove the remaining gel and a drink for the baby.

The child should not experience hunger, thirst and fear before the procedure. To exclude the latter, you need to talk with the baby in a playful way, explaining to him that nothing terrible will happen, and he will not experience pain.

It is important to explain to the child that he follows all the instructions of the doctor - for example, change the position of the neck, roll over, etc. Before the procedure, it is better not to use venotonics and drugs that improve brain trophism.

Possible restrictions

There are no direct contraindications - ultrasound is an absolutely painless procedure, no health risks have been identified at the moment.

Where to do it and how much does the procedure cost?

Children, as well as adults, can undergo the procedure in any major medical institution. It doesn't matter for the result. If there is a desire to do the procedure in a paid clinic, you should not worry about the price - it is available to all segments of the population. Average, from 1000 to 3000 rubles.

Conclusion

Ultrasound examination (ultrasound) is a procedure performed to diagnose the vessels of the brain. There are no contraindications for its implementation, it does not require special preparation. The duration is short - 15-20 minutes. The procedure can be performed on children of any age, even newborns.