Congenital CMV infection presenting with massive intracerebral hemorrhage

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common intrauterine infection and the developing nervous system is a frequent target, suffering a range of injuries from subclinical to catastrophic. A 20-week gestational age fetus was found to have a large echogenic focus in one cerebral hemisphere. Congenital CMV infection was identified by amniocentesis and maternal serology. Postmortem examination of the brain revealed massive intracerebral hemorrhage as the correlate for the sonographic finding. The microscopic examination of the brain was also striking for extensive polymicrogyria, a high burden of CMV, and abundant angiocentric CMV pathology. Catastrophic intracerebral hemorrhage has not been previously reported in association with congenital CMV infection. The present case expands the range of potential injuries to the developing brain in congenital CMV infection and raises the possibility of a direct vascular injury.