The prenatal causes of slight lateral ventricular enlargement in healthy infants

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the prenatal causes of slight lateral ventricular enlargement in healthy infants. Methods We examined 1089 healthy infants who weighed at least 2000 g and were born at a gestational age of at least 36 weeks. We assessed the presence of ventricular enlargement when an apparent space was observed in the frontal horn or body of the lateral ventricle of the brain by a transfontanel ultrasound scan. We investigated the relationships between slight lateral ventricular enlargement and various prenatal factors. Results Slight lateral ventricular enlargement was observed in 497 (45.6%) infants. Slight lateral ventricular enlargement was related to maternal anemia (p = .004; odds ratio = 1.630; 95% CI: 1.168–2.276), threatened premature labor (p = .010; odds ratio = 1.441; 95% CI: 1.093–1.900), and diabetes mellitus (p = .022; odds ratio = 2.020; 95% CI: 1.109–3.682) using multiple logistic regression analysis. The birth weight of the infants with slight lateral ventricular enlargement was heavier than that of those without ventricular enlargement at 36–40 weeks of gestation. Forty infants with ventricular enlargement had head circumferences greater than the 90th percentile, while only one infant without ventricular enlargement did (p < .001). In addition, 22 infants with ventricular enlargement had head circumferences less than the 10th percentile, while only 4 infants without ventricular enlargement did (p < .001). In 497 infants with ventricular enlargement, the numbers of infants with left side dominant, equivalent, and right side dominant ventricular enlargement were 289 (58.1%), 110 (22.1), and 98 (19.7%), respectively. Conclusions Slight lateral ventricular enlargement could be caused by several pathological conditions in utero, including brain atrophy, ventricular enlargement, the influence of blood flow in the brain, and various pathological changes in different brain regions.