Ventriculomegaly

How can ventriculomegaly affect my child?

Ventriculomegaly

The ventricular system contains sac-like pockets that are filled with cerebrospinal fluid. When the ventricular system of the brain is enlarged, it is known as ventriculomegaly. The lateral ventricles of the brain are less than 10 mm wide in a healthy fetus. However, a fetus that suffers from ventriculomegaly has lateral ventricles measuring 10-15 mm wide. Sometimes they are even larger, in which the case is severe. Luckily, ventriculomegaly is not linked to other health conditions in most cases. Severe cases of ventriculomegaly can result in hydrocephalus, also known as water on the brain. In hydrocephalus cases, the cerebrospinal fluid builds up and puts pressure on the brain.

There are three major causes of ventriculomegaly. Improper brain development, destroyed brain tissue and insufficient absorption of cerebrospinal fluid are all factors that can make the ventricles in the brain larger. Sometimes chromosomal problems can cause ventriculomegaly.

Ventriculomegaly affects approximately 1 out of 1,000 live births and is normally nothing that the mother has done. The condition can be diagnosed before or after birth. Ventriculomegaly can be detected on ultrasound by the second trimester. An MRI can also be helpful in diagnosing the condition. A chromosomal analysis can be used to test for chromosomal problems that can cause the condition.

The only time that ventriculomegaly needs to be treated is when there is water on the brain. Even if there is no water on the brain, regular exams should be done to monitor the condition. Once the baby has been born, doctors will do exams and measure the head circumference to make sure the baby is healthy. Usually, ventriculomegaly will resolve on its own and there are no neurological or developmental problems. As long as there are no other health conditions or chromosomal abnormalities present, the long-term prognosis for a child born with mild to moderate ventriculomegaly is great.

Comments: Ventriculomegaly

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mrskudla - 104 days ago.
Good luck, Linny, and keep us posted, Melissa

kaira - 104 days ago.
Just hang in there linnyc, your baby will do perfectly fine! You will be in my thoughts all day:) God bless you both!

nordic - 105 days ago.
Good luck linnyc! I remember my last ultrasound, just 2 weeks before birth. Due to the baby's position being very low just before birth they couldn't get a good ultrasound image so don't expect too much. It was still nice to see the baby doing well though. I am sure your baby will be fine, just hang in there.

linnyc1981 - 105 days ago.
hi, everyone - starting to get very nervous again - tomorrow is our last scan before birth of baby to check baby ventricles - although they have remained stable entire pregnancy i have that feeling preparing myself for if they have increased. i also have a feeling they they might pick up something else not right. i absolutely hate this feeling, but find sharing it on this forum makes me feel better.

joceejo - 106 days ago.
Hello Ladies, I can certainly understand the feelings of mothers that are now pregnant and going thru the rollercoaster of emotions that this sort of news brings. I am 33 wks and had been told at 24wks that my baby has enlarged vents. I too was a mad mama searching for information online, and it has been so comforting to find this site with lots babies born with good news. Since, I have been denied once and now pending from our insurance to recieve a level II u/s. SO I am completely in the dark and not Im not sure which is better ? Not knowing or knowing? Ive been bugging my Dr.s office to get the autho on the level II u/s but as of today no such luck,'pending' I have had so many different thoughts and feelings that I have managed to convince myself that we will be fine. But that thought lingers in the back of my head. I feel good, hes very active and his body is growing according to his gestational age. I dont know if these things would be effected by this but it makes feel good...especially to get this power kicks :) I actually see my Dr. on Tues and guess we'll see what that visit brings. My Dr continues to tell me it may be nothing and not to worry, but it seems so generic. What else is there to say w/o testing? I'll keep everyone in prayers and positive energy, I too hope to post 'nothing found' after I give birth. Did anyone feel any difference in baby's movement or anything when being told of this? Ps. this is where I get all my info from since I cant get answers from my doc. THANKS !

kaira - 107 days ago.
Thank you all for your support... do you know by any chance if there's anyone in your family or your partner's family that had VM? or is this just toally by chance like most of these articles online says? Thanks for your reply.

Coronation Street - 107 days ago.
Andrea2323, congratulations! I was in the same boat this time last year, scans every two weeks and when the baby was born absolutely no sign of enlarged ventricles. It's likely just a normal part of the development that isn't found in most women because having a scan every two weeks is the part that ISN'T normal! Enjoy you're new baby. Lesley

Andrea2323 - 107 days ago.
Hi Everybody. I have quietly read every single post on this forum because my baby was diagnosed with mild VM when I was 28 weeks along. I went for tests and sonograms every single week and was crippled with fear of the unknown. I tried to stay positive and strong for my other kids and my husband but it was the most scary time of my life. Well, I want to tell you all that our baby was born a week ago and there was NO SIGN of any sort of VM at all, at birth. This is a normal variant during pregnancy. I hope this helps anyone out there who may be worried, waiting and pregnant. Good luck and so much love to all of you for your support through my rough time. Love to you all.

two-on-board - 107 days ago.
Kaira - I am worried about what you are reading on the internet about the CC and ACC. I trawled the internet when my little boy was diagnosed with ACC, like you I was up at 4am looking for answers. However, I have obviously been looking at different websites as I have read none of the doom and gloom that you have found. Although ACC can be part of a bigger picture of issues, if it is in isolation then it can be insignificant and an incidental finding for other investigations. I have percentages of upto 90% normality if it is in isolation. I certainly would not know any different if I had not been having scans due to having twins as Oscar was diagnosed at 30 weeks pregnant. He is doing all that he should be doing, in line with his twin sister as I know most of the other babies on this forum with ACC are too. I understand that this is a massively traumatic time for you, trust me, I have been there, but the research that you are reading is not particularly supported by the babies on this forum. Read some information on a website called The Fetus, there is some very sensible and informative facts on there from valued medics, you will drive yourself bonkers if you read too much information. Please let me know if you want my story, and I hope you don't feel like I am telling you off, I am just worried about what you are reading.

kaira - 108 days ago.
No problem Ashley. I just wish I can be more help to you, and it's just so hard to deal with something like this along with other pregnancy issues like back pain and headaches... I don't know how we do it! I'm up 4 am and can't get back to sleep, how I wish all this can just go away.... I have been reading about this whole ACC thing like mad, and I don't really like what I have read so far. I kept telling myself that it's going to be ok, but in all honesty, the CC is one of the most important part of the brain, and I'm scared to think about what happens to my baby w/o it... or not functioning at its full capacity. I am so sorry to be so pessimistic about this, maybe it's just the 4am tired but can't sleep talk? I see that some of you have already had your babies, how are they doing if you don't mind me asking? Thank you Stellaluv for your input, I felt better after reading what you said about the ventricles, but I just wish that feeling lasted a little longer:)

ashleypireaux - 108 days ago.
NORDIC & KAIRA - thank you so much for your stories. I haven't been on that much this week since it's been a ruff month for us. STELLALUV- So your baby had ventriculomegaly (or some form thereof) plus agenisis of the corpus callosum? Our baby (i'm 30 weeks) has both, although they beleive the ACC to be only partial. From your experience how is your baby doing? Thank you so much everyone! Ashley

triciah - 108 days ago.
me too! i agree w/ stellaluv and two on board, same thing we were told,pretty much.i'm going to try and post to my profile everything i can remember that ryan has had with help from pt and ot...maybe it could help other moms out here with helping your child with developing. i'll let you know when i've updated my profile.most of it is simple play that you can do...the pt/ot just would give me exercises or things to do to help his development.

two-on-board - 108 days ago.
I would echo Stellaluv's posting as I have been told exactly the same by several consultants and neonatologists. Couldn't have put it better myself Stellaluv! XXX

stellaluv - 108 days ago.
To agree with nordic, its seems quite a bit of VM diagnoses turn out to be related to the corpus callosum. VM is sometimes just a normal variant, and sometimes it is the effect of something else. When the CC is missing or thin, the vents will fill in the small extra space. There are not 2 things wrong in this case. The ACC is affecting the shape of the ventricles. Our doctors told us my daughter does not actually have 'true VM'. Her ventricles are shaped differently because the CC cannot fully suspend them as they should be. Keep in mind that an ultrasound takes a cross section of the vent and measures the diameter, therefore if the vents are 'bottomheavy' they diameter is going to measure larger, even though there actually isnt any extra fluid present. So please, all you moms to be who have been told there is or might be a CC issue, I dont think you are dealing with several malformations. Also, it is very difficult to see the CC in prenatal tests, sometimes they see it and sometimes they dont. I think that is why when I was pregnant, it was not mentioned as a possible cause of the VM. It wasnt until after Stella was born that we could get a more accurate idea of what was going on, and even then, she needed an MRI to definitely confirm that her corpus callosum is thin. There are several babies on this forum with some degree of ACC and they are all thriving and the future is bright! I hope this helps some of you who are trying to make sense of this. You will hold your sweet babies soon and this worry will subside at the sight of your precious little one before you!

MarieG - 109 days ago.
Hi everyone. Anyone who has been following my posts will know that we had a very bumpy ride with VM resulting in my son being born via CS at 37 weeks after the RV went up to 19mm. At birth he was scanned and we were told that he was OK, just had a RV that was slightly more prominent. I just got back from my sons 1 month check up which was scheduled to re-do a scan on his head to see what was happening. I was told today that his RV is slightly enlarged, but it is nothing to get stressed over and worry about. Sometimes children are born with slightly larger vents and they usually decrease afterwards. I was told that his larger RV was not bothering him, shouldn't cause him any bother and that all other parts of his brain are functioning normally. I was basically told that he's a normal healthy baby, developing very well so far and that I needn't worry about him. I have to go back in 3 months time just to make sure that everything is still OK. I feel relieved today. I feel sleepy and feel like having a big glass of red wine. I feel that this nightmare may be coming to an end. Just think 5 months ago they were telling me to terminate the pregnancy! I just wanted to share with everyone that a lot of the time it does turn out OK. I feel that I can finally start to enjoy my boy.

nordic - 109 days ago.
Hi Ashley My son who is now 1 year old has a missing septum pellucidum, which is one of the other membranes separating the ventricles. In his case this was the 'cause' of the enlarged ventricles. The membrane not being there made them appear larger, so it might not be the case that there are two malformations, perhaps just the one. One statistic I was relieved to hear is 80% of babies with VM turn out just fine, 15% have some minor problems and 5% have more severe problems. I really sympathize with what you are going through at the moment, it's a bumpy ride. I have to add that I now have a wonderful, perfectly normal 1 year boy who just started kindergarten today. No matter how it turns out, once your baby is there I am sure you will love him or her.

kaira - 110 days ago.
Hi Ashley... I am not sure what to tell you, bc I am also in the dark about this whole ACC thing. I did an amnio and today my FISH results came back normal, which is good, I still have to wait for the full amnio results that will come back in two weeks. I am going for my US next Tuesday, hopefully things will turn out good, I just pray that they will see the CC. What are your VM measurements? I heard that 2% of the people have ACC live a perfectly normal life, and don't even know about it... but I understand we always prepare ourselves for the worse... my prayers are with you:)

ashleypireaux - 110 days ago.
Hi everyone- Thank you for the responses, helps beyond imagination, i'm sure we all feel that way. Today we had the echo which was fine, but the MRI revealed that he has ACC Agenisis of the Corpus Callosum. The Dr. at Yale who is NOT neurosurgeion who i'm going over the results with on the 28th thinks it may be partial ACC. In any event, my hopes of the ventriculomegaly being an isolated condition did not happen. He now has not only one, but two brain malformations. Does anyone else have both these issues? Again, I hear things that range from he may be ok, to he may have learning disabilities, or even worse, severe disabilities. They don't think it's virus related, probably not genetic (I did not have an amio, but all my early tests were fine, and they think b/c i'm 27 it should not be genetic, but that's not ruled out for sure). I'm lost, in more ways than one. Thanks everyone. Ashley

hedgebaby - 111 days ago.
Hello all, I also found this site recently and thank you so much for being here - how hard is it to find mums in the same situation? I found out my baby had unilateral VM at my 20 week scan - have had the follow up scan and that has confirmed 11mm on the one side only (the other is 7mm). What a shock and a see saw of emotions - I go from fearing the worst to expecting the best and it's so hard. I've had bloods done and have got amnio this week (my 12 week NT screening didn't show a problem) but not having the MRI yet. It's nice to see the happy outcomes on here so thank you for that. Keep your fingers crossed for me please. xx

hedgebaby - 111 days ago.
Hi Kaira, Sorry I can't help with the Expecta in Canada - I can't find it here in the UK either but am taking a fish oil now instead. Maybe you can find an alternative?

kaira - 111 days ago.
Does anyone know where I can get Expecta lipil in Canada? Any help would be greatly appreciated.:)

kaira - 111 days ago.
I found this site today and had been reading the posts ever since. I couldn't stop reading it bc it gave me hope. I am a 29 years old single mom and having my second child. It should be a wonderful thing as I am getting what I want - a baby girl. At 18 weeks gestation she was diagnosed with VM - 11mm on both sides, possible ACC due to the absence of it, and a low normal cerebellum... All these are so new to me a week ago. After crying in devastation and getting all upset at God, I have decided to pull myself together and be more informed of this topic. I got an amnio , TORCH done, they will escalate to MRI if needed in 10 days from now, if things get worse. I found all of your stories are so powerful in their ways, they have comforted me and I thank you for that. For the ones that got great news, I wish I will be in your shoes soon, and for the ones that are not doing so well, I just hope that you will pull through - As my middle name is Hope, I really hope that things will turn out good for all of us. Compare to alot of the comments I know I am not in the worse case, and when we find out something is not so 'normal' with our children, we often panic and lose track on things. I am the same way, I couldn't sleep at night, have dreams about it, wishing that I wake up and all this will just go away, perhaps a part of us just wanted some comfort, and getting it from people that have been throug similar situations are all so familiar, and it just help us ease ourselves. I must say it was difficult for me to talk about this, most of my friends don't even know that I am pregnant! But I truly find this site inspirational! I hope to give you all good news soon:)

mrskudla - 111 days ago.
Hi everyone, I just wanted to post an update, and say thank you to those who have had reassuring comments for me (Coronation Street, Bailey, Triciah). I'm 40 years old, and this is my first pregnancy. Here's some background: At 19 week ultrasound, dr diagnosed our baby boy w/ mild ventriculomegaly (about 11 mm). I had TORCH screen (negative) and fetal MRI, which confirmed the diagnosis (measurement about 12) & found no visible brain abnormalities (corpus callosum present, etc). I had already done a CVS so we knew there were no chromosomal abnormalities. About one month later, went back for a follow up US, and vents were 'stable. ' Today, I had another US, vents still 'stable,' at around 13.3 (dr explained to us this was not statistically significant - as the baby grows, everything grows). I go back in another month, for follow-up, and I'm also getting a fetal biophsyical profile in 3 weeks (my dr orders every test under the sun, which freaks me out & costs my insurance company thousands). To wrap us, even though the dr has told us he believes the baby is fine and that the VM is just a 'normal variant,' I cannot stop worrying (I tend to be a worrier, by nature). Thanks for listening, and any input would be appreciated. Melissa

ashleypireaux - 111 days ago.
Hi Melissa- Thanks so much for responding, I was so excited. We are seeing Yale specialists, particularly the pediatric neuro surgeon. I guess because his ventriculomegaly is mild they don't consider it rush worthy, who knows. My Ob called them today to straighten things out b/c I was so upset. So I guess what happens next is I continue to go for special ultrasounds to make sure it doesn't get worse, and give the neurosurg time to review the MRI, at which point he will schedule me based on what he sees, how soon, etc. It is crazy how long it might take, that is Yale for you! Where are you from? So it seems like your baby is doing well? I'm happy for you. I was told not to 'google' anything, but couldn't help myself because I need answers. Are they telling you the baby should be fine? I am soooooo afraid it will get worse, or cause the water on the brain. I'm wondering if I should have the amio, we opted out earlier this week to do it until we knew more from the MRI, but now i'm wondering if I shouldn't wait that long. All my bloodwork done at the beginnign of the pregnancy didn't show any issues then, but there's always that chance. Thanks again, so nice to hear from you! Ashley ashleypireaux@hotmail.com

mrskudla - 111 days ago.
Hi Ashley, I am very angry at your dr on your behalf & think it's unacceptable to make you wait that long. How insensitive can s/he be? Can you call & explain you cannot endure the mental anguish of waiting that long? Or maybe you can find another dr or get a referral? Here's my situation: I am in So. Fla. My perinatologist found mild enlargment at my 19 week scan, did bloodwork for TORCH infection (all negative - did you dr do this? s/he should) and sent us for fetal MRI the next week (we had those results the next day - the brain structures were present & looked normal). Since then, follow-up scans have showed the vents remaining stable (there has been a slight increase - from 11 to 12 to 13 - but dr told us it is not statistically significant - as the baby grows, everything gets bigger). The dr told us he thinks this is a normal variant (TORCH was negative & we had a CVS at 13 weeks so we knew there was no chromosomal abnormalities). Try not to panic, and let us know what happens, Melissa