Intraventricular haemorrhage in a fetus with cerebral cytomegalovirus infection

Giovanni Nigro1, Renato La Torre, Eleonora Sali

  • 12nd Institute of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Pediatric Institute, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. nigrogio@libero.it

Prenatal Diagnosis
|July 19, 2002
PubMed

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading infectious cause of prenatal neurological damage, which is particularly severe when primary maternal infection occurs during the first 16 weeks of gestation, at the time of organ development and neuronal migration. Vascular involvement has been suggested to be among the possible pathogenic mechanisms of virus-induced pathology, in addition to direct viral effects. We report on a fetus with cerebral CMV infection, which had intraventricular haemorrhage, together with oligohydramnios and hyperechogenic bowel, following maternal primary CMV infection.

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