Premium
The utility of infection screening in isolated mild ventriculomegaly: an observational retrospective study on 141 fetuses
Author(s) -
Pasquini Lucia,
Masini Giulia,
Gaini Claudia,
Franchi Chiara,
Trotta Michele,
Dani Carlo,
Di Tommaso Mariarosaria
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/pd.4470
Subject(s) - medicine , ventriculomegaly , fetus , pregnancy , obstetrics , parvovirus , hydrops fetalis , retrospective cohort study , cytomegalovirus , pediatrics , prenatal diagnosis , medical record , surgery , immunology , viral disease , herpesviridae , biology , virus , genetics
Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of screening for infections in case of isolated mild ventriculomegaly (imVM). Methods We retrospectively reviewed 141 cases of imVM. Screening for infections including TORCH, parvovirus B19, and syphilis was carried out in all cases. Follow‐up ultrasound, fetal karyotype, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were offered. Postnatal follow‐up was obtained from pediatricians, medical records, parents, and postmortem reports in cases of termination of pregnancy or stillbirth. Results The imVM was bilateral in 70 fetuses and unilateral in 71 and regressed during pregnancy in 66.6% of cases. Associated anomalies were observed in 15 cases with follow‐up ultrasound and in seven cases with MRI. Fetal karyotype was abnormal in one fetus (47, XXY). Maternal IgM for parvovirus B19 resulted positive in 4.6% of cases, and one neonate was infected without any fetal/neonatal adverse consequence. Recent cytomegalovirus infection was documented in 4.4% of cases. Only in one case the infection was transmitted to the fetus; after 3 years, the child has good neuromotor development but has severe hearing impairment. Conclusions When this diagnosis occurs, tests could be limited to cytomegalovirus and parvovirus B19, whereas a complete TORCH screening is probably not necessary. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.