Bedside head ultrasound to spot brain injury in children
Tests bedside head ultrasound for finding brain injury in children needing a head CT.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Bedside Cranial Ultrasound for Risk-Stratified Imaging in Pediatric Acute Brain Injury
Key facts
- Where
- Richmond, United StatesSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 2 and 17 years old?
Source: NCT07772323, who can take part
Where in United States
- Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, United StatesNo longer taking part
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Trial code
- NCT07772323
- Record updated
- 19 August 2026
- Original description
Acute brain injury (ABI) is a leading cause of death and long-term disability in children. Diagnosis depends on fast neuroimaging, and head computed tomography (CT) is the bedside reference standard despite exposing the developing brain to ionizing radiation. A safe, portable, radiation-free bedside tool is needed to help decide which children need a head CT, to speed CT when injury is present, and to safely monitor injured children between scans. This study evaluates B-mode cranial point-of-care ultrasound (cPOCUS) performed through the temporal (and frontal) bone windows in children undergoing a clinically indicated head CT in the pediatric emergency department (ED) and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Children's thin skulls provide adequate acoustic windows in more than 95% of cases. cPOCUS is acquired by trained research scanners within 6 hours of head CT and interpreted offline by two blinded expert readers; the radiology CT report is the diagnostic gold standard. This is a prospective observational study; cPOCUS results are not returned to the clinical team in real time and do not change clinical care.Read full original descriptionShow less
Bedside Cranial Point-of-Care Ultrasound (cPOCUS) for Risk-Stratified Imaging in Pediatric Acute Brain Injury: A Prospective Diagnostic-Accuracy and Longitudinal Biomarker Cohort Study (CUPID-Peds)
Acute brain injury (ABI) is a leading cause of death and long-term disability in children. Diagnosis depends on fast neuroimaging, and head computed tomography (CT) is the bedside reference standard despite exposing the developing brain to ionizing radiation. A safe, portable, radiation-free bedside tool is needed to help decide which children need a head CT, to speed CT when injury is present, and to safely monitor injured children between scans. This study evaluates B-mode cranial point-of-care ultrasound (cPOCUS) performed through the temporal (and frontal) bone windows in children undergoing a clinically indicated head CT in the pediatric emergency department (ED) and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Children's thin skulls provide adequate acoustic windows in more than 95% of cases. cPOCUS is acquired by trained research scanners within 6 hours of head CT and interpreted offline by two blinded expert readers; the radiology CT report is the diagnostic gold standard. This is a prospective observational study; cPOCUS results are not returned to the clinical team in real time and do not change clinical care.
Inclusion: Children 2 to 17 years of age; Undergoing a clinically indicated (standard-of-care) head CT for suspected acute brain injury (including trauma, headache with neurologic findings, altered mental status, focal deficit, seizure, post-cardiac-arrest, oncologic neurologic emergency, or intracranial infection); Seen in the pediatric Emergency Department or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR-VCU); Consent obtainable from a legally authorized representative (LAR); Cranial ultrasound feasible within the protocol time window (within 6 hours of head CT).
Exclusion: Prior hemicraniectomy; Cranial surgical defect at the insonation site; Any clinical condition in which cranial ultrasound would delay a time-critical intervention; Open skull fracture; Anticipated transition to comfort-only care.