The role of routine post-natal abdominal ultrasound for newborns in a resource-poor setting: a longitudinal study

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the benefit of routinely performing abdominal scans on newborns with a view to detecting possible abnormalities which may have been missed ante-natally.This was a longitudinal study of 202 consecutive, apparently normal newborns. Routine clinical examination and abdominal ultrasound scans were performed on the babies by their mother's bedside, before discharge. Neonates with abnormal initial scans had follow-up scans.There were 108 males and 94 females. There were 12 (5.9%) abnormal scans seen in five male and seven female neonates. Eleven of the twelve abnormalities were in the kidneys, six on the left and five on the right. Three of the four major renal anomalies- absent kidney, ectopic/pelvic kidney and two cases of severe hydronephrosis were however on the left side. There was one suprarenal abnormality on the right suspected to be a possible infected adrenal haemorrage. Nine of the abnormal cases reported for follow- up and of these, two cases had persistent severe abnormalities.This study demonstrated a 5.9% incidence of genito urinary anomalies on routine neonatal abdominal ultrasound in this small population. Routine obstetric USS is very useful but inadequate availability of skilled personnel and cost implications create great challenges in poor resource settings like Nigeria. However, awareness should be created so that parents who can afford such investigations can make informed decisions.Neonatal abdominal ultrasound is usually performed as a follow up to further evaluate fetal abnormalities which were detected on prenatal ultrasound or in the course of investigating neonatal symptoms.The role of the prenatal ultrasound has evolved in its specificity (93-99%) and sensitivity (14-85%) for identification of fetal malformations over the last five decades and has partly contributed to the lowering of fetal mortality rates [1-9]. More abnormalities are seen by the third trimester and a single early scan may miss som