Frederick Murtagh

Ultrasound determination of cerebrospinal fluid shunt patency: Technical note

A technique employing a Doppler ultrasound flowmeter in determining cerebrospinal fluid shunt patency is described. The technique has proven to be a valuable aid in the elevaluation of the patient in whom shunt function is in question.

Circumscribed intraventricular hematoma in infants: Associated with craniosynostosis and secondary hydrocephalus

Summary A case of discrete hematoma of the third ventricle in a full-term infant, associated with craniosynostosis and secondary hydrocephalus, is reported. The hematoma was successfully removed and the hydrocephalus subsided. To our knowledge, no such case has been previously reported. The differential diagnosis and possible etiological factors of intraventricular hemorrhage in infants are discussed. The use of definitive diagnostic studies by contrast methods is urged in selected patients. Only by this means will lesions which may be responsible for a few instances of cerebral palsy be detected at an early stage when curative procedures are still possible.

Echoencephalography in the Evaluation of Hydrocephalus

Several authors have shown echoencephalography, the study of the skull and its contents by ultrasonic pulses, to be of considerable value in determining the position of midline structures of the brain (1–8). Almost all these investigators have commented upon the echoes providing additional information during the procedure. One of the most frequent has been an echo presumably originating from the lateral wall of the lateral ventricle. The origin of this reflection has been often confirmed by pneumoencephalography and ventriculography. The echo from the lateral wall of the lateral ventricles has almost always been found between 1.4 and 2.4 cm from the midline structures in normal adults (9). This corresponds to the position of the lateral wall of the posterior portion of the body of the lateral ventricle. The variation and inconsistency of this finding are thought due to the absence of a constant perpendicular tissue-fluid interface in the path of the ultrasound beam during the routine examination. The curv...