Towards a non-invasive ultrasound method for the diagnosis of neonatal and infant meningitis

Abstract

Lumbar Puncture (LP) is currently used to draw a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and test for potentially lethal Bacterial Meningitis (BM) in infants (<1yr). Increased CSF cellularity is highly indicative of BM and triggers medication for the patient. In developed countries, 95% of LPs for BM in infants return negative. In developing countries, LPs are rarely available, with 50% of infants with BM dying from the disease. We propose using high-frequency ultrasounds (HFUS) to non-invasively determine CSF cell concentration through the fontanel. The aim of this study is to assess the capabilities of HFUS on a fontanel phantom involving mock CSF with varying leukocyte concentration and pig tissue.