SONOGRAPHIC STUDY OF LENTICULOSTRIATE VASCULOPATHY-RETROSPECTIVE STUDY IN A MEDICAL CENTER FOR 18 MONTHS

Objectives: The features of vessels supplying the thalamus and basal ganglia are indistinct from brain parenchyma in healthy infants on brain ultrasound examinations. In recent studies, however, bright linear and branched echodensities in these regions have been described as lenticulostriate vasculopathy and been linked with prenatal or postnatal infections, congenital anomalies, infants of diabetic mothers, prematurity, etc. In this study, our purpose is to determine the possible etiologies, mechanisms and prognosis with infants of lenticulostriate vasculopathy.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of fifty-one infants with lenticulostriate vasculopathy (LSVs) who have been regularly follow-up in the Pediatric Department of Wan-Fang Hospital. Results: The total patient number in this sonographic study was 1533, and the detection rate of LSVs was 3.33% (51 of 1533). In these 51 infants, 23 infants were healthy at birth, 14 infants were premature babies, others included meconium aspiration syndrome, respiratory distress, seizure disorder, etc. In healthy group, the detection rate of LSVs was 2.92% (23 of 787), and in disease group, the detection rate was 3.75% (28 of 746). To determine the possible different etiology of LSVs in healthy group and in disease group, we compared the onset of LSVs in healthy group and premature group. The average days of onset in healthy group was 6.8 days, however, in the premature group, the average days of onset was 71.5 days. We also designed a questionnaire to study the possible mechanisms.

Conclusion: The present study showed the variant features on clinical and sonographic studies of lenticulostriate vasculopathy. Patients with the vasculopathy of different etiologies may have different mechanisms and prognosis.