Normal Head Ultrasound in the Preterm and Term Newborn

Familiarity with the normal brain anatomy and its age-dependent normal variation/evolution is essential for proper interpretation of neonatal head ultrasonography studies. In a preterm neonate, the brain surface is smooth, while a complex gyration and sulcation pattern is expected in term neonates. In newborns, persistent fetal fluid-filled spaces such as the cavum septum pellucidum, cavum Vergae, and cavum veli interpositi, asymmetry in size of the lateral ventricles, and variable morphology of the choroid plexus are physiological.