Related Experiment Videos
Benign subdural collections of infancy
Insights
Subdural fluid collections in infants can cause macrocrania and excessive head transillumination. Despite CT scans mimicking cerebral atrophy, infants showed normal development, suggesting these findings may not indicate significant neurological damage.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Neuroradiology
- Infant Neurodevelopment
Background:
- Subdural collections of fluid in infants are uncommon.
- This study investigated six infants with subdural fluid collections.
Observation:
- All patients presented with macrocrania and excessive head transillumination.
- Rapid head growth was observed in most infants, yet five remained asymptomatic.
- Subdural taps confirmed abnormal fluid collections, consistent with effusion or hematoma.
Findings:
- Computerized tomography (CT) revealed ventricular enlargement, wide cerebral sulci, and decreased density over convexities.
- Specific CT findings included anterior temporal hypodensity, enlarged sylvian cisterns, and prominent interhemispheric fissures.
- These CT features mimicked cerebral atrophy.
Implications:
- The findings suggest that subdural fluid collections in infants may present with imaging findings similar to cerebral atrophy.
- Despite concerning CT results, normal psychomotor development and neurological examinations were noted.
- This highlights the importance of correlating imaging findings with clinical assessments in infants.
Abstract:
During the past two years we studied six infants with subdural collections of fluid. All patients had macrocrania and excessive transillumination of the head. Rapid head growth was common but five patients were otherwise asymptomatic. Subdural taps performed on five children confirmed the presence of abnormal fluid over the cerebral convexities. Subdural fluid in four patients was compatible with effusion and in another with a hematoma. Computerized tomographic evaluation of all infants showed ventricular enlargement, wide cerebral sulci, decreased density in the anterior temporal regions, large sylvian cisterns, prominent interhemispheric fissures, and decreased density over the cerebral convexities. The CT findings resembled cerebral atrophy but psychomotor development and neurologic examinations have been norma.