Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography in Detecting Spinal Dysraphism in Infants, Taking MRI as the Gold Standard

Accuracy of Ultrasonography in Infant Spinal Dysraphism

Abstract

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in detecting spinal dysraphism in infants, taking MRI as the gold standard.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of six months, from 30^th May 2023 to 29th November 2023, in the Department of Radiology, Allied Hospital, Faisalabad. A total of 142 infants with suspected spinal dysraphism were included in the study. Newborns with clinically suspected birth-related spinal cord injuries and absolute contraindications to MRI were excluded from the study. Ultrasonography was performed using real-time USG scanners equipped with high-frequency linear array transducers ranging from 9 to 12 megahertz (MHz) for optimal imaging in infants. The USG findings were then compared with MRI results to assess diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography.

Results: We observed that the overall sensitivity was 91.43%, specificity 94.44%, positive predictive value (PPV) 94.12%, negative predictive value (NPV) 91.89%, and diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in detecting spinal dysraphism in infants was 92.96.

Conclusion: Ultrasonography provides a highly sensitive and accurate diagnostic assessment while detecting spinal dysraphism. Being a cost-effective, simple and widely accessible alternative to MRI, it is highly useful modality in low-resource setups.