Using Doppler echocardiography we evaluated the effect of ductal shunt flow on the cerebral and abdominal arterial blood flow in 25 preterm infants. Eligible for inclusion in this study were healthy preterm newborn infants. They were divided into two groups based on their gestational age: group A, 33‐36 weeks (15 infants) and group B, 28–32 weeks (10 infants). Two‐dimensional Doppler echocardiograms were obtained in each infant during the first 8 hours of life and repeated every 6–12 hours until no ductal shunt flow could be detected. Flow in the ductus arteriosus, the basilar artery and the coeliac artery were examined. Closure of the ductus arteriosus occurred significantly later(p< 0.05) in group B than in group A. Pulsatility indices of flow in the basilar and coeliac arteries were high when the ductus was patent, decreasing to a fixed level with closure. This study suggests that a shunt of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) adversely influences the cerebral and abdominal blood flow in preterm infants.

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The patient developed myoclonic seizures at 3 months of age and his hair demonstrated the pili torti pattern. The low serum copper content and ceruloplasmin confirmed the diagnosis of Menkes disease. The characteristic signs on the images were: high echo level regions in the cerebrum as detected by brain ultrasonography, low density areas of white matter detected by CT scan, and low signal intensities of white matter by both T1 and balanced MR images.

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The development and regression of the coronary aneurysms in Kawasaki disease was studied with serial two-dimensional echocardiographic (2D echo) examinations. The diameter of the aneurysms at the proximal portions of the left coronary artery was measured on the 2D echo images in ten patients with Kawasaki disease, in whom left coronary aneurysms were found at the acute stage of the illness, and followed by 2D echo for longer than eight months. It was found that coronary aneurysms usually developed during the second week of the illness, reached maximal size at 3-8 weeks, and regressed gradually thereafter. Small aneurysms disappeared in several months, and those of intermediate size regressed in one to two years. Large aneurysms may remain for many years. Mural thrombi within the aneurysms were detected with 2D echo in three patients. They decreased in echodensity and eventually disappeared echographically.