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Sex ratios in congenital malformations of the central nervous system

Ronald J Lemire1, Thomas W Pendergrass

  • 1Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center and University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Wash. 98105, USA. rlemir@chmc.org

Pediatric Neurosurgery
|January 31, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric neurosurgeons evaluate central nervous system (CNS) malformations. This report details CNS malformations with altered sex ratios, aiding in diagnosis and prediction.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurosurgery
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Medical Genetics

Background:

  • Central nervous system (CNS) malformations exhibit diverse morphological variations.
  • These defects can be isolated or part of a larger syndrome.
  • Altered sex ratios are observed in many CNS malformations, though underlying causes are often unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review selected central nervous system (CNS) malformations.
  • To highlight CNS malformations with significant alterations in sex ratios.
  • To provide insights into the diagnostic and predictive value of sex ratio data in CNS malformations.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of CNS malformations.
  • Analysis of reported sex ratios for specific congenital brain anomalies.
  • Synthesis of information on patterns of sex predilection.

Main Results:

  • Certain CNS malformations demonstrate recurrent, non-random sex ratio alterations.
  • These patterns suggest potential biological or etiological influences beyond chance.
  • Observed sex dominance can inform clinical suspicion and diagnostic strategies.

Conclusions:

  • Sex ratio data is a valuable, yet often underutilized, tool in the clinical assessment of CNS malformations.
  • Understanding altered sex ratios can enhance the prediction of malformation likelihood.
  • Further research into the etiological basis of sex-biased CNS malformations is warranted.

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