The role of ultrasonography in recognizing the cause of fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly
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V. D'Addario
Abstract
Dilatation of the fetal cerebral ventricles (ventriculomegaly) is a generic sonographic sign common to several pathological entities carrying different prognoses. The main causes of fetal ventriculomegaly are aqueductal stenosis, Chiari II malformation, Dandy-Walker complex and agenesis of the corpus callosum. Ventriculomegaly is easily recognized by ultrasound by measuring the atrial width. This simple measure allows the recognition of mild forms of ventricular dilatation and is used as a screening method for ventriculomegaly. However, although the diagnosis of ventriculomegaly is easy, the prenatal identification of the cause of ventricular dilatation is a more difficult task. To this end, the evaluation of the posterior fossa in association with the visualization of the corpus callosum is a useful landmark. Research into the cause of ventriculomegaly is clinically useful, since the prognosis mainly depends on the etiology and on the presence of associated anomalies. In this article the role of prenatal sonography in recognizing the cause of ventriculomegaly and the prognostic value of the prenatal sonographic findings are discussed.
Copyright © 2004 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
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- Congress Calendar
- Roster of Perinatal Societies
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- The role of ultrasonography in recognizing the cause of fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly
- A kick from within – fetal movement counting and the cancelled progress in antenatal care
- DNA microarrays detect the expression of apoptosis-related genes in preeclamptic placentas
- Indicated labor induction with vaginal prostaglandin E2 increases the risk of cesarean section even in multiparous women with no previous cesarean section
- Cervical immunoglobulin A and altered vaginal flora in pregnant women with threatened preter delivery
- Multiple courses of antenatal corticosteroid therapy in patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes
- Implication of cord blood myeloperoxidase but of soluble p-selectin levels in preterm deliveries
- Fetal and early postnatal magnetic resonance imaging – is there a difference?
- Bone turnover markers and bone strength during the first weeks of life in very low birth weight premature infants
- The ponderal index in triplets: I. Relationship to small for gestational age neonates
- The ponderal index in triplets: II. Gestational age-related patterns of neonatal weights and lengths
- The ponderal index in triplets: III. Association with birth weight discordance
- The ponderal index in triplets: IV. Relationship with maternal height
- Intratracheal albumin reduces interleukin-8 in tracheobronchial aspirates in piglets after meconium aspiration
- The pulmonary paradox in premature infants: in-utero infected lungs do better than those with accelerated maturation
- Congenital syphilis: unique clinical presentation in three preterm newborns
- Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome complicated by spontaneous mid-trimester uterine rupture
- Persistent pulmonary hypertension in a premature newborn after 16 hours of antenatal indomethacin exposure
- Congress Calendar
- Roster of Perinatal Societies
