Normal ventricular size and ventriculo-hemispheric ratio in infants upto 6 months of age by cranial ultrasonography

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Radiology
• Neuroimaging
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• Accurate assessment of ventricular size is crucial for diagnosing various pediatric neurological conditions.
• Understanding normal developmental changes in ventricular dimensions is essential for interpreting imaging findings.
• Cranial ultrasonography is a widely used, non-invasive imaging modality in neonates and infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the normal range of ventricular size and ventriculohemispheric ratio in preterm, full-term, and infants up to six months of age.
• To establish reference values for these parameters during early infancy.
• To analyze the developmental trajectory of ventricular dimensions in the first six months of life.

Main Methods:

• Cranial ultrasonography was performed on 400 infants, divided into four groups: preterm (>34 weeks), full-term, 1-3 months, and 4-6 months.
• Ventricular size (in mm) and ventriculohemispheric ratio were measured for each infant.
• Statistical analysis was used to determine mean values and standard deviations for each group.

Main Results:

• Ventricular size showed a consistent increase from 4.64 +/- 1.84 mm in preterm infants to 10.72 +/- 2.92 mm in six-month-old infants.
• The ventriculohemispheric ratio increased from 0.12 +/- 0.052 in preterm infants to 0.17 +/- 0.056 by three months of age.
• This ratio remained stable at approximately 0.17 +/- 0.064 from three to six months of age.

Conclusions:

• Infant ventricular size and ventriculohemispheric ratio undergo significant developmental changes in the first six months of life.
• Established reference ranges are vital for accurate interpretation of cranial ultrasound findings in pediatric neuroimaging.
• These findings provide a normative dataset for assessing ventricular morphology in early infancy.