Mild Unilateral Ventriculomegaly

I am 32 weeks pregnant with my first child. At about 24 weeks it was discovered that the left ventricle in my baby's brain was enlarged. 11 mm. They scheduled an ultrasound for 28 weeks to check and see if there was any change. At 28 weeks the ventricles measurements were within normal limits, 9 mm. The doctor said that was a good thing especially since it is isolated. He scheduled another ultrasound at 32 weeks (today) just to be sure that the measurement was stable. At this ultrasound it was found that the left ventricle was once again enlarged, somewhere between 11.5 mm and 14.4 mm. Unsure because the doctor did not tell me. The doctor recommended that we check it again in 4 weeks and if it was still abnormal then he would recommend that the Pediatrician do further testing once my baby is born. He said that in most cases it turns out to be nothing. He is also looking into scheduling me for a fetal MRI (if my insurance will pay). He and everyone else says not to be too concerned but of course I am. Does my baby have a good outlook? And, is there any explanation for why the measurements would be abnormal one visit and normal the next, only to go back to abnormal at the next visit?

[Yao Sun, MD, PhD]

Generally speaking, ventricular enlargement is considered within normal limits if it is less than or equal to 10 mm, particularly if it only involves one side.  The risks for long term neurodevelopmental problems are low if the ventricle stays at this size and no other abnormalities are found.

If the ventricles continue to enlarge to greater than 10 mm, it increases the risk of possible long term neurodevelopmental problems but does not necessarily mean that your baby will have them.  Another follow-up ultrasound will give more information about whether the ventricle is truly enlarging.  The changes between the 3 previous ultrasounds are not necessarily indicative of a trend, and the measurement of ventricles is not an exact science since it depends a bit upon the technique used for each ultrasound.

[lisalou577]

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