Prenatally diagnosed fetal ventriculomegaly: prognosis and outcome

The purpose of the present study was to determine the postnatal outcome and prognostic factors of prenatally diagnosed ventriculomegaly, and to establish the relationship between prenatal sonographic measurements and postnatal psychomotor development. A total of 42 singleton pregnancies with sonographically determined fetal ventriculomegaly at 20–38 weeks' gestation were reviewed, together with follow‐up data on postnatal outcome at a mean of 29 months after delivery. Sonographic measurements included head circumference, cerebral lateral ventricular diameter at the anterior and posterior horn level, and hemisphere diameter. Classification of psycho‐motor development consisted of assessment of motoric behaviour, speech, communication and social skills (‘Van Wiechen’ classification). Perinatal mortality rate was 38 per cent, of which half were directly associated with cephalocentesis. Only the ventricle/hemisphere ratio for the anterior and posterior horn of the lateral cerebral ventricles was significantly higher among perinatal deaths than amongst the survivors. Within the subset of survivors (n=26), psycho‐motor development was normal in 46 per cent. Postnatal examination revealed syndromal anomalies in five infants, of which four were associated with psycho‐motor retardation. Prenatally diagnosed ventriculomegaly has a poor postnatal outcome with more than 50 per cent of the live‐born infants demonstrating abnormal psycho‐motor development. The predictive value of fetal biometric measurements is poor. The presence of syndromal anomalies emphasizes the need for genetic counselling in future pregnancies. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.