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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the value of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) for detecting intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods: Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and SWI were performed on 900 newborns clinically suspected of brain lesion. The chi-squared test (χ2) was used to compare the detection rates for different hemorrhage sites between conventional MRI and SWI. Term and preterm infants were also compared using the χ2 test. Results: The detection rate of ICH for SWI was higher than that for conventional MRI (24.0% vs. 19.8%, P < 0.05). Two cases misdiagnosed as ICH by conventional. MRI were confirmed by SWI to have venous malformation. intraventricular, cerebral cortical, cerebellar and subdural/epidural hemorrhage was identified by SWI at a significantly higher rate than by conventional MRI (P < 0.05). In total, 93 cases of punctate white matter lesions (PWML) were diagnosed by conventional MRI, while SWI identified 8 cases complicated with hemorrhage. The number of hemorrhagic lesions in the germinal matrix and intraventricular of premature infants was higher than in full-term infants, while the number of hemorrhagic lesions in the subarachnoid space was lower than in full-term infants (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that SWI is superior to conventional MRI for detecting ICH in neonates.

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