Premature babies are especially vulnerable to certain conditions involving the brain. These include intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH), which often occurs during the first few days, and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), which tends to occur later on. One of the main purposes of routine<unk>  scanning in neonatal units is to identify these problems as they develop. If severe intraventricular haemorrhage is noted then the baby will need to be scanned more frequently in case post-haemorrhagic hydrocephalus (swelling of the ventricles as the natural flow of the cerebrospinal fluid is blocked by blood-clots) develops. Other indications include babies that requires ventilatory support, neonatal encephalopathy, and signs and symptoms that suggests central nervous system disorder such as seizures, microcephaly, macrocephaly, hypotonia, and unexplained poor feeding at term. Most neonatal units in the developed world routinely perform serial<unk>  scans on babies who are born significantly premature. A typical regimen might involve performing a scan on the first, third and seventh day of a premature baby's life, and then at regular intervals until the baby reaches term.
Cranial ultrasound
Brain biopsy
Transcranial pulsed ultrasound
Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain
Hemoencephalography
Audiometry
Cranio-corpography
Magnetoencephalography