SUBEPENDYMAL CAUDOTHALAMIC GROOVE HYPERECHOGENICITY AND NEONATAL CHRONIC LUNG-DISEASE

Chronic lung disease is associated with several poorly defined risk fa ctors for impaired cerebral development. Late neonatal onset of subepe ndymal hyperechogenic areas in the caudothalamic groove has been repor ted in association with dexamethasone treatment and postnatal cytomega lovirus infection. We reviewed charts of 18 patients who developed sub ependymal hyperechogenicity beyond the first week of life, as well as charts of 79 patients belonging to a prospective surfactant study grou p. Thirteen of the 18 patients with subependymal hyperdensities had be en treated with surfactant and were all found in the subgroup with chr onic lung disease. In the surfactant-treated patients who did not deve lop chronic lung disease, we could not find any patient with subependy mal hyperdensities. From the remaining five patients with ultrasound l esions, but who were not treated with surfactant, three had developed chronic lung disease. There was no evident association with dexamethas one treatment or cytomegalovirus infection. Our results support the id ea of an association between chronic lung disease and the described ec hographic lesions in the caudothalamic groove, but the nature of the l ink between them is still unclear.