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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
Non-invasive Optical Measurement of Cerebral Metabolism and Hemodynamics in Infants
Published on: March 14, 2013
Cerebral biometry at birth and at 4 and 8 months of age. A prospective study using US
Joost Gravendeel1, Karen Rosendahl
1Department of Radiology, Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. gravendeel@home.nl
Insights
Longitudinal reference intervals for ventricular size are sparse. This study established references for ventricular measurements in infants at birth, 4, and 8 months, noting significant frontal horn width increases and fair inter-observer agreement.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Longitudinal reference intervals for ventricular size are essential for diagnosing dilated ventricles but are currently limited.
- Establishing normative data across infancy is critical for accurate clinical assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish reference ranges for key ventricular measurements in infants at birth, 4 months, and 8 months of age.
- To evaluate the inter-observer variability of these ventricular measurements.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, longitudinal study involving 120 term newborns (65 boys, 55 girls).
- Infants underwent serial neuroimaging scans at birth (mean age 1.5 days), 4 months, and 8 months.
- Measurements included ventricular index, frontal horn width, third ventricle width, frontal subarachnoid space depth, optic nerve sheath diameter, and resistive index.
Main Results:
- Follow-up rates were 90% at 4 months and 75% at 8 months.
- Most ventricular measurements increased with age; frontal horn width showed a significant increase, particularly between birth and 4 months (e.g., boys from 2.2 mm to 6.5 mm).
- Inter-observer agreement for measurements was generally fair to moderate.
Conclusions:
- The substantial increase in frontal horn width from birth to 4 months is a key finding.
- The wide normal ranges observed across all three age groups should be considered in future diagnostic evaluations of ventricular size.
Background:
Although longitudinal reference intervals for ventricular size are crucial for the diagnosis of dilated ventricles, such data are sparse.
Objective:
To establish references for ventricular measurements at birth, and at 4 and 8 months follow-up, and to examine the inter-observer variation of the measurements.
Materials And Methods:
This prospective, longitudinal study included 120 term newborns (boys 65, girls 55), mean age 1.5 days on initial scans, with re-examination at 4 months and 8 months of age. One examiner performed all the examinations, measuring: ventricular index, frontal horn width, third ventricle width, frontal subarachnoid space depth, optic nerve sheath diameter and resistive index.
Results:
One hundred eight (90%) and 90 (75%) of the infants, respectively, attended for follow-up at 4 and 8 months of age. All measures increased with age, except for the depth of the subarachnoid spaces that showed an initial rise, followed by a mild drop at 8 months, and for the resistive index that remained stable at 0.6. The increase was particularly significant for frontal horn width with an increase from 2.2 mm at birth to 6.5 mm at 4 months in boys, and 2.1-5.8 mm in girls. The agreement between two observers was fair to moderate for most of the measurements.
Conclusion:
The increase in the width of the frontal horns between birth and 4 months of age, as well as the wide normal range found among all three age groups are noteworthy and should inform future diagnostics.
