The dangers of bilateral ventricle enlargement

Pregnant women should go to the hospital for prenatal check-ups on time during the 10-month pregnancy. Pregnant women must have sufficient understanding of prenatal check-ups during pregnancy. The health status of the pregnant woman and fetus will be checked in different prenatal check-ups during pregnancy, especially the development of the fetus will be observed and examined. If some conditions that may occur during the development of the fetus are discovered, a diagnosis can be made in a timely manner.

The dangers of bilateral ventriculomegaly

1. Localized brain atrophy

Brain atrophy after trauma, infection, and cerebral infarction. CT scan shows flake-like low-density lesions in the brain parenchyma near the enlarged ventricles. MR: T1WI shows low signal and T2WI shows high signal. At the same time, the cerebral sulci and subarachnoid space widen.

2. Lateral ventricular neuroepithelial cyst

It is usually located in the trigone of the lateral ventricle. The cyst wall is thin and usually cannot be clearly seen. Because the cyst contains cerebrospinal fluid, both CT and MR show cerebrospinal fluid signals.

3. Anatomical variation

The characteristics are that there is no lesion in the nearby brain parenchyma, no enlargement of the sulci and subarachnoid space, or abnormal brain structure.

4. Isolated temporal (inferior) horn of the lateral ventricle

It is caused by obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow in the temporal horn of the lateral brain. It is often caused by lesions in the lateral ventricle, including intraependymal hemorrhage, meningioma and choroidal papilloma, etc. It can also be caused by compression of lesions around the trigone of the lateral ventricle.

The dangers of enlarged cerebral ventricle

1. Normal variation

In a considerable number of normal people, the sizes of the bilateral lateral ventricles are inconsistent. The lateral ventricle on the asymmetric side is significantly larger than the other side. Clinically, intellectual and mental development are normal and of no clinical significance.

2. Atrophy of one cerebral hemisphere

It can be caused by many reasons, such as cerebral infarction, trauma, bleeding and infection. The most common cause is vascular occlusion involving a large area of ​​the brain. CT and MRI showed that the lateral ventricle on the affected side was enlarged, the amount of brain tissue was reduced, the midline was shifted toward the affected side, and in severe cases, the sulci and gyri disappeared.

3. Brain trigeminal angiomatosis

Also known as cerebrofacial hemangioma syndrome, CT plain scan is characterized by gyral, track-like, arc-shaped or serrated calcifications in the brain parenchyma of one hemisphere. Due to the obstruction of blood supply to the affected side, brain parenchyma atrophy is often caused. Therefore, the affected side may show enlargement of the lateral ventricle, reduction of the cranial cavity, and thickening of the cranial plates. There are purple-red vascular nevi in ​​the typical calcification and clinical trigeminal meridian distribution areas in the brain.

4. One-sided interventricular foramen obstruction

Cerebrospinal fluid is mainly produced in the choroid plexus of the ventricles. When one side of the interventricular foramen is blocked, the cerebrospinal fluid produced by the choroid plexus of the ipsilateral lateral ventricle cannot enter the third ventricle, and the cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the lateral ventricle. CT and MR examinations show enlargement of one side of the lateral ventricle. When the enlargement is obvious, the midline structure may shift to the opposite side. The main reasons are tumors, cysts, cysticercosis and inflammatory adhesions near the interventricular foramen. The key points to determine that the enlargement of one side of the lateral ventricle is caused by obstruction of the interventricular foramen include: one side of the lateral ventricle is obviously dilated and tense, the septum pellucidum is shifted to the opposite side, and there are no other explanatory reasons around the enlarged lateral ventricle that can cause the enlargement of the lateral ventricle on that side.

5. Periventricular leukomalacia

It is mainly related to ischemia, hypoxia and infection. It is common in premature infants and is the main cause of cerebral palsy in premature infants. The blood supply of periventricular white matter comes from the terminal arteries of the ventricular zone and the distal ventricular zone respectively. The collateral circulation of the deep perforating branches of the terminal arteries of immature infants has not yet been established, and the periventricular white matter in the late embryonic period is sensitive to ischemia and hypoxia. Therefore, periventricular automalacia is more common in premature infants. Since the lesions are often bilateral, both lateral ventricles often enlarge at the same time. White matter softening lesions appear as patchy low-density lesions in the white matter on CT scans. MR T1-weighted images show low signals, while T2-weighted images show high signals.