Birth weight-related percentiles of brain ventricular system as a tool for assessment of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus and ventricular enlargement.

Besides remarkable improvements of neonatal medical therapy, neurological morbidity remains a major concern in preterm infants. In particular, intracranial hemorrhage is a severe complication strongly correlated to poor neurological outcome. For early clinical assessment of intracranial hemorrhage and its impact on the ventricular system, cranial sonography is an important bedside diagnostic tool. Reference values of ventricular sizes are available in relation to gestational age (GA). So far, it has not been demonstrated that ventricular size values are also reliable in relation to birth weight (BW). In this study, we performed cranial ultrasonography in 250 preterm and term newborn infants. Measurements of the intracranial ventricular system by cranial ultrasound examination were performed within 72 h after birth. We determined ventricular index, anterior horn width, width of the third ventricle, width and length of the fourth ventricle for statistical analysis in relation to BW and GA. GA ranged from 23 weeks, 3 days to 42 weeks, 1 day (mean: 33 weeks), BW ranged from 345 to 5620 g (mean: 2146 g). Ventricular index and fourth ventricle width revealed a significant correlation to birth weight with r=0.75, each. A significant correlation to birth weight was also obtained for width and length of the third ventricle (r=0.55 and 0.47, respectively). Correlations obtained for ventricular measures in relation to GA were similar to those referring to BW. In preterm and term infants, ventricular sizes in relation to BW seem reliable for assessment and monitoring of ventricular pathologies, i.e. after intracranial hemorrhage.