Ultrasonography of the peri‐ and intraventricular areas of the fetal brain between 26 and 36 weeks' gestational age; a comparison with neonatal ultrasound

Abstract

Transvaginal ultrasonography can be applied as a diagnostic tool to evaluate the peri- and intraventricular areas of the fetal brain. Transient periventricular densities can be encountered between 26 and 28 weeks. Term low-risk neonates may develop transient periventricular densities or translucencies.

Preoperative cranial ultrasound findings in infants with major congenital heart disease

“…Widening of ventricular andlor subarachnoid spaces was the most common abnormality (26%) (see Figure 4), followed by acute ischaemic changes (8%) and LSV (6%) (see Figure 5). In comparison with a longitudinal study of 30 fetuses of low-risk pregnancies in which serial CUS was performed before and after birth, we found a much higher incidence of CUS abnormalities [24].…”

Changes in echogenicity in the fetal brain: a prevalence study in fetuses at risk for preterm delivery

“…In the period between 24 and 36 weeks' gestation, the most frequently occurring patterns of brain injury are periventricular white matter damage, germinal matrix hemorrhage and their complications. These areas of the fetal brain can be examined by transvaginal ultrasound examination during pregnancy in the same systematic way as can be done in the neonate: viewing coronal and sagittal planes in both fetal hemispheres, using the anterior fontanel as an acoustic window3. Even in high‐risk pregnancies with diminished amniotic fluid, the transvaginal approach provides adequate visibility for assessment of the fetal brain4.…”

“…However, the true incidence of brain injury acquired before delivery has been studied sparingly in high‐risk populations. In low‐risk fetuses, transient periventricular echodensities (PVE) in the frontal areas of the brain have been found to be present between 26 and 28 weeks and were considered to represent physiological phenomena of maturation3. Persistent PVE developing into periventricular leukomalacia in the neonatal period and their relation to neurological outcome have been described in two small populations of high‐risk fetuses4, 10.…”

Preoperative cranial ultrasound findings in infants with major congenital heart disease

“…Widening of ventricular and/or subarachnoid spaces was the most common abnormality (26%) (see Figure 4), followed by acute ischaemic changes (8%) and LSV (6%) (see Figure 5). In comparison with a longitudinal study of 30 fetuses of low‐risk pregnancies in which serial CUS was performed before and after birth, we found a much higher incidence of CUS abnormalities [24].…”