brain ventricles in fetus

at my 30wk appt i was scheduled to have a 3D ultrasound for enjoyment purposes.  At that ultrasound it was found that my babies right ventricle was swollen to 1.2 cm just slightly out of range.  My Dr scheduled another ultrasound to check growth 4wks later.  At that appt everything measured the same so we thought we were out of the woods.  The Dr. decided that even though it had measured the same she would still keep an eye on it.  At my 36 wk appt another ultrasound was done and the ventricle has now grown to 1.43.  The ultrasound tech said there was not any build up of fluid or any undo pressure on the brain and the skull is normal size.  All my marker tests have come back normal.  what could this enlargement mean for my babies.  

[Yao Sun, MD, PhD]

If you have not already seen a perinatologist, you may want to ask your obstetrician for a referral.  The risks of ventriculomegaly (enlarged ventricle) depend upon how much enlargement there is and whether any other abnormalities are found (in the rest of the body as well as the rest of the brain).

The perinatologist can review all the ultrasound studies to help determine what the risk is for neurodevelopmental consequences.  The reason we speak of "risk" is that even babies that are apparently "normal" have a small chance of neurodevelopmental problems, and on the other hand babies with isolated ventriculomegaly can have a chance of developing normally.