Ultrasound Diagnosis of Neonatal Intra-Abdominal Cysts: A PictorialEssay

Eu Leong Harvey Teo, KK Women's and Children's Hospital 

Introduction

Neonatal intra-abdominal cystic lesions are uncommon. They are often discovered on antenatal ultrasonography or incidentally by the neonatologist soon after birth. The more common differential diagnoses include multicystic dysplastic kidneys, hydronephrotic kidneys, ovariancysts, mesentericcysts, enteric-duplication cysts, meconiumpseudo cysts, choledochalcysts, lymphangiomas and less frequently cystic neuroblastomas, adrenal haemorrhage, teratomas and liver haemangiomas/haemangioendotheliomas. Ultrasound can provide a specific diagnosis or narrow the differential diagnosis. In some cases, CT and MRI may be indicated to further characterize these lesions and to provide a surgical road map for the surgeons. After reviewing this poster, the reader should be familiar with the imaging features of the different intra-abdominal cysts in the neonate and how to accurately diagnose many of these lesions on ultrasound.

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