Images courtesy of Intermountain Medical Imaging, Boise, Idaho.

Cranial ultrasound uses reflected sound waves to make pictures of the brain and the inner fluid chambers (ventricles) through which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flows. This test is most often done on babies to check for problems from a premature birth.

Figure 1 shows an ultrasound of the normal brain of a newborn baby. Figure 2 shows an ultrasound of an area of bleeding in a premature newborn baby.