Outcome in children with fetal mild ventriculomegaly: a case series

Mild enlargement of the lateral ventricles is associated with schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental disorders. While it has been hypothesized tha t ventricle abnormalities associated with neurodevelopmental disorders aris e during fetal brain development, there is little direct evidence to suppor t this hypothesis. Using ultrasound, it is possible to image the fetal vent ricles in utero, Fetal mild ventriculomegaly (MVM) has been associated with developmental delays in early childhood, though longer-term neurodevelopme ntal outcome has not been studied. Follow-up of five children (aged 4-9 yea rs) with mild enlargement of the lateral ventricles on prenatal ultrasound and two unaffected co-twins is reported: one child had attention deficit hy peractivity disorder (ADHD), one had autism, and two had evidence of learni ng disorders. These cases suggest that the mild enlargement of the lateral ventricles associated with these neurodevelopmental disorders arises during fetal brain development and can be detected with prenatal ultrasound. In a ddition, the presence of mildly enlarged, asymmetric ventricles in two chil dren on prenatal ultrasound and on follow-up MRI at age 6 years indicates t hat ventricle structure present in utero can persist well into childhood br ain development. The study of fetal ventricle development with ultrasound m ay provide important insights into neurodevelopmental disorders and allow t he identification of children at high risk. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.