Is ventriculomegaly serious in premature infants?

Ventriculomegaly is a serious problem in premature infants. During the fetal period, the baby has more cerebrospinal fluid, which makes it easy for the baby to have space-occupying lesions after birth. During examination, if the width is less than one centimeter, this is generally not a big problem. However, if it is higher than one centimeter, you must be vigilant as it may affect the child's development. Let's take a look at this aspect.

Is ventriculomegaly serious in premature infants?

Fetal ventriculomegaly refers to the accumulation of fluid in the fetal lateral ventricles. When the width of the lateral ventricle is greater than 10mm, it is called ventriculomegaly. Normally, the width of the fetal lateral ventricle will not exceed 1.0CM. If the fetal lateral ventricle is widened, it is necessary to consider whether it is caused by hydrocephalus. Fetal lateral ventricle enlargement is a relatively serious disease. When there is no other treatment method, induced labor is required. If the width of the lateral ventricle recovers to less than 1.0CM after treatment, the pregnancy can continue normally.

If the width of the fetal lateral ventricle is less than 1 cm, the expectant mother does not need to worry too much. She only needs to have regular check-ups. As the fetus grows, most of it will be slowly absorbed. You should have regular prenatal checkups and avoid being too nervous or anxious so as not to affect the development of the fetus. In daily life, expectant mothers should pay attention to supplementing zinc, which is very important for the brain development of the fetus. However, if the width is more than 1 cm, it is considered abnormal and requires further diagnosis.

Classification of fetal ventriculomegaly

The classification of fetal ventriculomegaly is generally based on the site of occurrence, ventricular width, and pathogenic factors. If classified according to the different locations of fetal lateral ventricle widening, it can be divided into fetal left lateral ventricle widening, fetal right lateral ventricle widening and fetal bilateral lateral ventricle widening. Fetal ventriculomegaly is classified into severe ventriculomegaly, mild ventriculomegaly, and isolated mild ventriculomegaly.

1. Severe ventriculomegaly: It refers to excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricular system, which causes the expansion of the lateral ventricle system and increased pressure, which manifests as ventriculomegaly during ultrasound examination. Generally, a widening of the trigone of the lateral ventricle by 1.5 cm is considered ventricular enlargement, and the wider the area, the more serious the enlargement. If the triangle is 1.2-1.4 cm wide and the choroid plexus fills more than 50% of the ventricle, it is generally considered normal. If the choroid plexus is shrunk and suspended, hydrocephalus is considered to be present, and the ventricular width is ≥15 mm. Severe lateral ventriculomegaly can be caused by changes in cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, abnormal brain tissue structure or brain tissue destruction. Among them, severe ventricular dilatation with abnormal cerebrospinal fluid circulation pathways and rapid progression is called hydrocephalus, which can be divided into obstructive hydrocephalus and communicating hydrocephalus.

2. Mild ventriculomegaly: 10mm≤lateral ventricle diameter≤15mm is considered mild ventriculomegaly. A lateral ventricle diameter of <10 mm is considered to be within the normal physiological range. The incidence of mild lateral ventriculomegaly is 0.15%-2.2%. Its cause is mostly non-ventricular system obstruction, and it is not accompanied by increased intracranial pressure and compression and atrophy of brain tissue.

3. Isolated mild ventriculomegaly: This refers to cases in which no other abnormalities are found in prenatal systematic ultrasound examination. It is a type of mild ventriculomegaly. If mild ventriculomegaly is not associated with other structural abnormalities visible on ultrasound, it is called isolated mild ventriculomegaly. About 10% of fetuses with isolated mild ventriculomegaly have chromosomal abnormalities, the most common of which is trisomy 21. Viral infection during pregnancy, especially cytomegalovirus infection in late pregnancy, can also often lead to abnormal manifestations such as isolated ventriculomegaly and paraventricular mixed echoes.