POWER DOPPLER AND COLOR DOPPLER US EVALUA TION OF THE VASCULAR SUPPLYOF THE FEMORAL-HEAD IN THE NEWBORN

Purpose: To establish the effectiveness of color Doppler and power Dop pler ultrasound (US) in identifying the arterial supply of the femoral head in newborn. Material and methods: Sixty normal hips in 30 newbor ns (mean age : 22 days) were imaged with a 7 MHz transducer. The prese nce and Doppler caracteristics of flow in the branches of the inferior and superior arterial groups were documented according to the anatomi c description of Lagrange and Dunoyer. Results: The arterial flow with in the chondroepiphysis from the inferior and superior branches was vi sualized in 100% and 91% cases, respectively. The transversal trochant er major incidence was the most adequate. Abduction without stress did not induce modification of the arterial supply. Conclusion: Visualiza tion of femoral head vascularity with Power Doppler and color Doppler US is feasible and consistent in the majority of healthy neonates.