Cranial Ultrasound Evaluation of Normal Neonatal Cerebral Ventricular Dimensions to Establish Multi-parametric Nomograms and Reference Ranges

Present study aimed to determine the normal neonatal cerebral ventricular dimensions to develop reference ranges. Measurement of ventricular size is of prime importance in diagnosing various causes of neonatal ventricular dilatation and evaluating the need for intervention. The ventricular system of the brain is an interconnected series of cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that cushions the brain. Though the presence of cerebral ventricles was known since ancient times, its function was obscure. A 7.5 MHz or higher transducer is used in case of premature infants. For adequate sound penetration of a larger infant head, 5 MHz transducer is used. High-frequency transducer (5 to 12 MHz) is used to provide high-quality images for scanning of near-field pathology. Linear regression model was used for correlation. The FHW increased from 1.38 mm at 33 weeks to 1.59 mm at 40 weeks. The linear regression model showed a linear increase in the size with a corresponding increase in gestational age, showing a positive correlation of 0.16 (P value 0.027) which is significant. TOD showed negligible change with increasing gestational age, from 17.24 mm at 33 weeks to 17.17 mm at 40 weeks. The TVW study showed a slight increase in width with increasing age, from 1.20 mm at 33 weeks to 1.45 mm at 40 weeks gestation. VHR showed a negligible change with increasing gestational age, from 0.120 at 33 weeks to 0.100 at 40 weeks. The Levene index showed a slight increase, from 10.30 at 33 weeks to 11.64 at 40 weeks of gestation. When diagnosing pathologic ventricular dilatation and determining whether intervention is necessary, neuro-sonography has legitimate implications for the measurement of ventricular size. For typical preterm and term neonates, nomograms for various parameters (FHW, TOD, TVW, VHR, and Levene index) are established, along with corresponding reference ranges.