Changes in the size of the lateral ventricles in the normal-term newborn following vaginal delivery
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 30, 2026

3D Modeling of the Lateral Ventricles and Histological Characterization of Periventricular Tissue in Humans and Mouse
Published on: May 19, 2015
Marvin D Nelson1, C Jane Tavaré, Leonard Petrus
1Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA. mdnelson@chla.usc.edu
Background:
This is a study of the size of the lateral ventricles in a population of normal-term newborns following vaginal delivery.
Objective:
To assess the time course for the lateral ventricles to change from closed to open following vaginal delivery.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 143 normal-term newborns had a videotaped cranial ultrasound examination during the period from 1 to 156 h after birth. Many had from one to three additional examinations when returning for well-baby checks. Three methods [overlapping intervals (smoothed percentages), life table, and geometric distribution] were used to construct the approximate distributions of completely closed, partially open, and open ventricles.
Results:
Using smoothed percentages it was estimated that within 12 h of birth, 80% of newborns had closed lateral ventricles, 19% had partially open ventricles, and only 1% were completely open. The estimated median time from birth to partially open ventricles was in the period 36 to 60 h. The life table gave the estimated median time to partially open ventricles as 74 h. Fitting the data to a geometric distribution gave an estimated mean of 63 h.
Conclusion:
The majority of normal newborns have closed lateral ventricles following vaginal delivery and these are partially opened by day 3 after birth.
Related Concept Videos
Anatomy of the Brain: Ventricles
Increased Intracranial Pressure l: Introduction
Regulation of Stroke Volume
Preload refers to the degree of stretch on the heart before it contracts. It's analogous to the stretching of a rubber band; the more it's stretched, the more forcefully it snaps back. This concept is encapsulated in the Frank-Starling law of the...
Neurulation

