Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 4, Issue 3 109-112, Copyright © 1985 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
A specular reflection arising from the ventricular wall: a potential pitfall in the diagnosis of germinal matrix hemorrhage
D. E. Siedler, B. S. Mahony, W. K. Hoddick and P. W. Callen
Reflection artifacts may complicate the diagnosis of intracranial
hemorrhage in preterm neonates. A linear focus of bright echoes in the
region of the germinal matrix at or anterior to the caudothalamic grooves,
often seen on parasagittal scans, may be mistaken for a germinal matrix
hemorrhage but is actually a reflection of the ultrasound beam at the wall
of the lateral ventricle. Cranial sonograms of 100 preterm infants were
retrospectively analyzed and categorized with regard to presence and size
of specular reflection. Eight cases demonstrated a bright echogenic focus;
seven of these potentially could have been mistaken for hemorrhages.
