Prise en charge des malformations vasculaires cérébrales découvertes en période ante- ou néonatale

State of the art of antenatal diagnosis and management of vein of Galen aneurysmal malformations

Vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation (VGAM) is a severe rare vascular anomaly whose prognosis depends on cerebral and cardiac consequences that can be hard to diagnose, let alone predict in utero. We performed an updated review to summarize current research on the genetics, ultrasound and MRI of VGAM that could help in the diagnosis and management of VGAM. Prenatal diagnosis of VGAM has greatly improved in recent years. Ultrasound allows in utero detection of VGAM in most cases now and is the best exam for prenatal cardiac evaluation. Tricuspid insufficiency is the only cardiac feature associated with poor prognosis. Cardiomegaly may indicate a risk of cardiac failure at birth and should prompt discussion of birth in a specialized facility. Ultrasound can identify constituted cerebral lesions, but MRI diagnoses early signs of cerebral hemodynamic changes, notably through the detection of pseudo-feeders. Genetic exploration should be proposed after VGAM diagnosis. Ultrasound and MRI are essential complementary tools for the diagnosis of VGAM, but also for prognostic evaluation, and provide information for the counseling of parents and optimal management of the pregnancy.

Long-term outcome of vein of Galen malformation

AIM

To describe the long-term outcomes of children by the time they reached school age with vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation (VGAM).

METHOD

This was a retrospective observational study on a consecutive cohort of patients with VGAM. We included patients with at least one Francophone parent, aged between 6 and 11 years at the time of long-term evaluation. The neurological outcome was assessed with the King's Outcome Scale for Childhood Injury score and eight neurological and behavioural items from the Rivermead Postconcussion Symptoms questionnaire.

RESULTS

All 52 patients (17 females, 32 males [data missing for n=3]) with at least one Francophone parent (5 fetuses and 47 children) were included. At the long-term evaluation time-point, 33 patients were alive and 19 patients had died. Risk of postnatal death was associated with severe neonatal cardiac failure (p=0.007) or isosystemic or suprasystemic pulmonary hypertension (p=0.014). Among survivors, 19 had a good outcome with normal schooling and 14 had a poor outcome. Moreover, among the good outcome patients, a large proportion had neurodevelopmental alterations.

INTERPRETATION

Long-term outcome of patients with VGAM appears to be less favourable than outcome described at the short- and medium-term, even in the absence of encephalomalacia at birth. Even patients with good outcome often have neuropsychological disorders that may have repercussions on learning and requiring appropriate rehabilitation or medical management.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS

Long-term outcome appears to be less favourable than described at short- and medium-term follow-up. Even patients with good outcome at these time-points often have minor neuropsychological disorders.

Perinatal stroke syndromes: Similarities and diversities in aetiology, outcome and management

With a birth-prevalence of 37-67/100,000 (mostly term-born), perinatal stroke encompasses distinct disease-states with diverse causality, mechanism, time of onset, mode of presentation and outcome. Neonatal primary haemorrhagic stroke and ischemic events (also divided into neonatal arterial ischemic stroke and neonatal cerebral sinus venous thrombosis) that manifest soon after birth are distinguished from presumed perinatal - ischemic or haemorrhagic - stroke. Signs of the latter become apparent only beyond the neonatal period, most often with motor asymmetry or milestones delay, and occasionally with seizures. Acute or remote MRI defines the type of stroke and is useful for prognosis. Acute care relies on homeostatic maintenance. Seizures are often self-limited and anticonvulsant agents might be discontinued before discharge. Prolonged anticoagulation for a few weeks is an option in some cases of sinovenous thrombosis. Although the risk of severe impairment is low, many children develop mild to moderate multimodal developmental issues that require a multidisciplinary approach.

[Intraoperative fluid therapy in infants with congestive heart failure due to intracranial pial arteriovenous fistula]

Pial arteriovenous fistula is a rare intracranial congenital malformation (0.1-1: 100,000). It has a high blood flow between one or more pial arteries and drains into the venous circulation. It is usually diagnosed during the childhood by triggering an intracranial hypertension and/or congestive heart failure due to left-right systemic shunt. It is a rare malformation with a complex pathophysiology. The perioperative anaesthetic management is not well established. We present a 6-month-old infant diagnosed with pial arteriovenous fistula with hypertension and congestive heart failure due to left-right shunt. He required a craniotomy and clipping of vascular malformation. Anaesthetic considerations in patients with this condition are a great challenge. It must be performed by multidisciplinary teams with experience in paediatrics. The maintenance of blood volume during the intraoperative course is very important. Excessive fluid therapy can precipitate a congestive heart failure or intracranial hypertension, and a lower fluid therapy may cause a tissue hypoxia due to the bleeding.

MRI of the Fetal Brain

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the possibilities for fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of the fetal brain. For brain pathologies, fetal MRI is usually performed when an abnormality is detected by previous prenatal ultrasound, and is, therefore, an important adjunct to ultrasound. The most commonly suspected brain pathologies referred to fetal MRI for further evaluation are ventriculomegaly, missing corpus callosum, and abnormalities of the posterior fossa. We will briefly discuss the most common indications for fetal brain MRI, as well as recent advances.