(504) Prenatal cavum septi pellucidi width and short-term developmental outcome

Thursday, February 9, 2023

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Objective: To investigate the association between an abnormal width of the cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) and early developmental delay.

Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional study on all fetuses of low risk pregnancies, evaluated in our neurosonography clinic between 18+0 and 36+6 weeks of gestation from January 2020 to January 2021. Fetuses with a central nervous system (CNS) or extra-CNS anomaly were excluded. The corpus callosum was assessed in all fetuses and was normal for gestation. The width of the CSP was measured by two experienced neurosonographers by placing the calipers on the inner portion of its lateral borders (in-to-in). This measurement was correlated to the biparietal diameter (BPD) by linear regression analysis. Reference ranges were constructed depicting the mean and 2 standard deviations (SD) above and below this value for each BPD. A wide CSP or narrow CSP were defined as measurements greater than +2SD or smaller than -2SD from the mean, respectively. Neonatal health related outcomes were obtained through "The Survey of Wellbeing of Young Children" (SWYC) screening phone questionnaires.

Results: 253 fetuses met the inclusion criteria and were used to devise the CSP reference ranges. Eleven (4.3%) fetuses had a wide CSP and 15 (5.9%) fetuses had a narrow CSP. The median age of the infants at the time of neurodevelopmental assessment was 13 months (interquartile range, 12-14). Overall health was normal for both groups of infants. The proportions of children below the SWYC developmental milestone threshold for a wide and narrow width were 27.2% (n = 3) and 26.6% (n = 4), respectively. 27.2% (n = 3) of children with a wide CSP and 13.3% (n = 2) with a narrow CSP were at risk of behavioral symptoms.

Conclusion: Evaluation of the CSP is an integral component of routine prenatal ultrasound examinations. Approximately a quarter of fetuses with an abnormal width of the CSP are at risk of developmental-behavioral issues. Further studies are required to explore the long-term developmental outcome in this population.

Primary & Presenting Author(s)

Joanna Sichitiu, MD (she/her/hers)
Clinical Fellow
Fetal Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Coauthor(s)

KG
Kimia Ghannad-Zadeh, MSc
Fetal Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV
Tim Van Mieghem, MD, PhD
Fetal Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
SS
Shiri Shinar, MD
Fetal Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada