Neonatal Spine Ultrasound: A Pictorial Review of Indications, Anatomy, Abnormalities, and Variants

Spinal ultrasound (US) is an invaluable tool in screening the newborn for congenital spine abnormalities and characterizing them when present. If unrecognized, spinal anomalies can lead to devastating neurological consequences. Knowledge of spine US indications is essential to maximize its utility, and proper technique is critical in obtaining diagnostic images. Knowledge of normal anatomy, pathologic findings, and anatomic variants is paramount in interpretation of images. In this review, we discuss indications for screening US, imaging technique, and illustrate the normal anatomy on US, abnormal findings, and nonpathologic anatomic variants.