Clear lateral ventricles can be seen in the fourth month of pregnancy We usually diagnose this by ultrasound during pregnancy, and you can basically see the ventricles very clearly around the fourth month of pregnancy (15 or 16 weeks). If the widening is more pronounced, it can also be detected during a third trimester NT ultrasound. In some cases, fetal lateral ventricles are normal at first and then show up later as widened lateral ventricles, so every ultrasound during pregnancy is very important. Confirming the diagnosis of lateral ventricular widening MRI is advantageous What do we do when we find lateral ventricular widening? This is a question that many families are concerned about. It is important to realize that lateral ventricular widening is just a symptom, and it is very important to look for the cause. The first thing we can do is to get a senior sonographer to do another ultrasound. The first thing to do is to find out if the lateral ventricles are really widened. Secondly, we need to clarify whether the child’s brain, internal organs and limbs are combined with abnormalities in addition to the widening of the lateral ventricles, which is very important for us to determine the cause of the widening of the lateral ventricles. In addition, a fetal MRI can be done if necessary. This is because ultrasound is affected by many factors such as the doctor’s experience, the ultrasound instrument, and the child’s position in the uterus, which may interfere with the results. MRI, on the other hand, is largely independent of these factors and is relatively more objective. MRI is more advantageous in diagnosing fetal neurological abnormalities, and there is little radiation, which is relatively safe for both the pregnant woman and the child, and is generally recommended to be done after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Chromosomal abnormalities are present in about 10% of cases of lateral ventricular widening. Once we have clarified whether the widening is real or not, we have to find out the cause. It has been reported in the literature that chromosomal abnormalities, or genetic abnormalities, may be present in about 10% of children with widened lateral ventricles. So in this case, we would recommend amniocentesis. Some people often ask, can I do non-invasive DNA? In fact, non-invasive DNA is done by taking the mother’s blood and finding out the free DNA of the fetus from it. This technique is currently more accurate in screening for trisomy 13, trisomy 18, and trisomy 21, etc., and it does not help us in what we are looking for. The purpose of an amniocentesis or cord blood puncture is to find out if something is wrong with the genes on the child’s chromosomes. If there is something wrong with the chromosomes, then we need to consider whether the child is ready to go on to have another baby? If the chromosomes and genes are fine, we believe that the child is basically fine and can be kept under observation simply because of the widening of the lateral ventricles. It is possible that the doctor will say, “This is an isolated case of widening of the lateral ventricles, and there is no other pathology found, so we can continue to monitor the situation.” If lateral ventricular widening is detected, it should be reviewed once every 2 to 3 weeks Should the frequency of ultrasound examinations be increased if lateral ventricular widening is detected? Without a doubt, definitely yes. If it is determined that the child is not comorbid with any other disease, it is simply a widening of the lateral ventricles. We use the ultrasound to then follow up just fine, reviewing every 2 to 3 weeks. If it is found that the lateral ventricles are still gradually widening, or if new fetal abnormalities are found, then it is important to consider that the child may need to be induced. Corpus callosum dysplasia is not necessarily related to the lateral ventricles Some pregnant mothers used to ask some questions – what is the relationship between fetal corpus callosum dysplasia and lateral ventricles? In fact, these are two different disorders that only occasionally co-occur. What is corpus callosum? We know that the brain is divided into two valves, with a left brain and a right brain. What communicates between these two brains? It is the corpus callosum. Nerve signals between the two brains are transmitted through the corpus callosum. If the corpus callosum is underdeveloped, the communication between the left and right brains may be interrupted and the child will have some problems. It is possible for a fetus with a hypoplastic corpus callosum to also have a widened lateral ventricle, but the two are not directly related. That is, corpus callosum dysplasia is not caused by widening of the lateral ventricles. It’s better to run around to multiple hospitals than to find one that you trust Some people say isn’t it better for me to go to more tests? Although there are some errors in ultrasound examination, it is not a scientific way to say who is right and who is wrong when one hospital gives a completely normal result and another hospital says it is completely abnormal. If the abnormality was screened at the beginning in a lower level hospital, such as a second level hospital. If you want to do further testing, you should go to a higher level hospital, such as a tertiary hospital or a specialized prenatal diagnostic center. This will save time and lead to an accurate conclusion.