Gilmore J H, van Tol J J, Lewis Streicher H, Williamson K, Cohen S B, Greenwood R S, Charles H C, Kliewer M A, Whitt J K, Silva S G, Hertzberg B S, Chescheir N C
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7160, USA.
Schizophr Res. 2001 Mar 30;48(2-3):219-26. doi: 10.1016/s0920-9964(00)00140-7.
Mild enlargement of the lateral ventricles is associated with schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental disorders. While it has been hypothesized that ventricle abnormalities associated with neurodevelopmental disorders arise during fetal brain development, there is little direct evidence to support this hypothesis. Using ultrasound, it is possible to image the fetal ventricles in utero. Fetal mild ventriculomegaly (MVM) has been associated with developmental delays in early childhood, though longer-term neurodevelopmental outcome has not been studied. Follow-up of five children (aged 4--9 years) with mild enlargement of the lateral ventricles on prenatal ultrasound and two unaffected co-twins is reported: one child had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one had autism, and two had evidence of learning disorders. These cases suggest that the mild enlargement of the lateral ventricles associated with these neurodevelopmental disorders arises during fetal brain development and can be detected with prenatal ultrasound. In addition, the presence of mildly enlarged, asymmetric ventricles in two children on prenatal ultrasound and on follow-up MRI at age 6 years indicates that ventricle structure present in utero can persist well into childhood brain development. The study of fetal ventricle development with ultrasound may provide important insights into neurodevelopmental disorders and allow the identification of children at high risk.
侧脑室轻度扩大与精神分裂症及其他神经发育障碍有关。虽然有人提出，与神经发育障碍相关的脑室异常在胎儿脑发育期间出现，但几乎没有直接证据支持这一假说。利用超声能够在子宫内对胎儿脑室进行成像。胎儿轻度脑室扩大（MVM）与幼儿期发育迟缓有关，不过尚未对其长期神经发育结局进行研究。本文报告了对5名产前超声显示侧脑室轻度扩大的儿童（年龄4 - 9岁）及2名未受影响的双胞胎进行随访的情况：1名儿童患有注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD），1名患有自闭症，2名有学习障碍迹象。这些病例表明，与这些神经发育障碍相关的侧脑室轻度扩大在胎儿脑发育期间出现，且可通过产前超声检测到。此外，2名儿童产前超声及6岁时随访MRI显示存在轻度扩大、不对称的脑室，这表明子宫内的脑室结构可一直持续到儿童脑发育阶段。利用超声研究胎儿脑室发育可能为神经发育障碍提供重要见解，并有助于识别高危儿童。
