CRANIAL ULTRASOUND THROUGH A BONE-WINDOW: BEDSIDE EVALUATION OF POST-TRAUMATIC HYDROCEPHALUS AND MIDLINE SHIFT.

382 patients with serious close head injury (CHI) were treated in a surgical intensive care unit. Intra-cranial pressure monitors were surgically placed in 81% of these patients. 'Bone-Window' was performed in 25 patients who had evidence of mid-line shift, intra-ventricular hemorrhage, intra-cerebral hematoma or diffuse cerebral edema on the admission CT scan. The examinations were performed using a portable, real-time, mechanical, sector scanner (3 MHz probe), with hard-copy images obtained using a multi-image format camera. The advantages and disadvantages of the technique are noted.