Vascular cyst
The choroid plexus is one of the first structures to appear in the head and can be seen as early as the sixth week of fetal development. They concentrate sugar and produce cerebral fluid - cerebrospinal fluid, which is essential for nourishing the spinal cord and brain. The choroid plexus is a complex structure. The presence of both choroid plexuses indicates the development of both halves. If the brain is not divided into two hemispheres - this is considered one of the most serious malformations, and this defect is called "holoproencephaly". The choroid plexus contains no nerve cells at all, but at the same time, it is very important for the development of nerve cells in the brain, since the sugar-containing fluid that they produce is the primary nutrient fluid for developing nerve cells in the early stages of development.
Causes of vascular plexus cysts
In some cases, drops of cerebral fluid may be trapped within the choroid plexus. This is how vascular cysts are formed. They are cavities that contain liquor. Both cysts of the right choroid plexus and cysts of the left choroid plexus can develop. As a rule, vascular cysts are found in both plexuses during ultrasound examination at 18-20 weeks of pregnancy in 1-3 out of 100 pregnant women.
Vascular plexus cysts in the fetus do not affect the brain in any way. Most vascular cysts resolve by 24-28 weeks of gestation. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the brain in the embryo develops only from the 24th week after conception.
According to research by the American AiH Association, in 90% of all cases of choroid plexus cysts in the fetus, they resolved spontaneously by the 26th week of pregnancy, in 50% of cases vascular cysts were bilateral.
The cause of the appearance of vascular cysts later, after the birth of a child, may be damage to the fetus by various infections, complications during pregnancy, minor hemorrhages during childbirth and herpes. In most cases, vascular cysts heal over time without any treatment.
Diagnosis of vascular cysts
In infants, vascular cysts are detected using an ultrasound examination of the brain - neurosonography. It is recommended for all children under the age of one year to exclude vascular cysts and any other defects of the central nervous system. It is especially recommended for premature babies, newborns with too large or too small weight, babies with neurological symptoms, birth trauma or hypoxia. Sometimes neurosonography can also be prescribed to children with an unusual head shape, facial structure, defects, features or abnormalities in the structure of any other organs.
Neurosonography is a simple and absolutely safe method for a baby. The examination is usually carried out through the large (anterior) fontanelle. It is important to do this before the fontanelle closes, as high and medium frequency ultrasound waves do not pass through the dense cranial bones. The anterolateral (temporal), occipital, and posterolateral fontanelles are used to study the posterior inferior and central parts of the brain, which are distant from the large fontanelle.
Are vascular cysts dangerous?
By themselves, the cysts of the choroid plexus in the fetus are not dangerous for its future health. But their presence increases the unborn child's risk of chromosomal abnormalities, such as Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18) and Down syndrome (trisomy 21). As a rule, it is with these syndromes that vascular cysts in the fetus are often found.
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The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!
