Objective: To determine any neurosonographic differences between premature intrauterine growth retarded (IUGR) neonates and premature appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants.
Study design: We retrospectively reviewed the head sonograms of 36 premature IUGR infants and 32 premature AGA matched controls.
Results: Seven of the 36 (19%) IUGR infant head sonograms revealed mild ventriculomegaly with no evidence of hemorrhage or ischemia. Only one of the 32 control scans (3%) had similar findings. Mild ventriculomegaly in the IUGR infant versus the AGA control neonate was statistically significant (p value of 0.05). Follow-up head sonograms (4 to 12 weeks after the initial head sonogram) revealed resolution of the mild ventriculomegaly in five of the seven IUGR infants. Clinically, all of the IUGR infants with mild ventriculomegaly were asymptomatic during their stay in the nursery and in clinical follow-up ranging from 3 to 5 years.
Conclusion: Mild ventriculomegaly on the head sonograms of asymptomatic premature IUGR infants (with no associated hemorrhage or ischemic change) should be recognized as a transient, nonpathologic finding.