Ventriculomegaly - a pathology of brain development caused by the expansion of the lateral ventricles, sometimes their size can reach 15 mm. This defect can be either isolated or combined with other known malformations and chromosomal abnormalities.
If ventriculomegaly is an independent disorder, the probability of occurrence of severe chromosomal abnormalities in such a child is significantly lower than when it occurs along with other abnormalities. The risk of chromosomal abnormalities directly depends on the width of the ventricles and decreases as they decrease.
Ventriculomegaly in the child causes
At present, the causes of the development of ventriculomegaly have not been studied thoroughly, only the connection of the fetal pathology with the woman's age is noted: in young women it is three times less common than in pregnant women over 35 years old. On average, the incidence rate is 0.6%.
Ventriculomegaly - symptoms
Signs of ventriculomegaly can be seen from about 17 to 34 weeks of gestation on ultrasound examination of the fetus . The disease can be assumed in the event that the magnitude of the lateral ventricles of the brain exceeds 10 mm. For the diagnosis, only ultrasound alone is not enough, therefore, karyotyping of the fetus is also carried out.
How to treat ventriculomegaly?
With an increase in the lateral ventricles to 12 mm, prenatal fetal treatment is possible. It is carried out in 2 stages. On the first within three weeks, therapeutic exercise is conducted and antihypoxants are taken in parallel. The second stage of treatment is simply exercise therapy, the emphasis is on static loads of pelvic muscles and pelvic floor.
When detecting ventriculomegaly in a newborn, it is very difficult to predict its development. If the defect is isolated, then in 80% of cases it will be normal. If the disease is combined with other chromosomal abnormalities, the probability of developing severe neurological disorders is high.