Choroid plexus cysts among healthy neonates and their association with disadaptation in early neonatal period

Introduction. Choroid plexus cysts are incidental findings on ultrasound examination of the neonatal head usually. Nowadays, choroid plexus cysts refers are known as “soft markers”, which do not have a direct pathological effect on the infants themselves, but may be associated with an increased risk of other perinatal pathology, including intrauterine infections or genetic anomalies.

Aim. To identify the features of developing early neonatal disadaptation in newborns with choroid plexus cysts, including subependymal pseudocysts.

Materials and methods. Between January 2023 and August 2023, routine brain sonographic examinations were performed on 760 neonates who were born at term without disturbances in neurological status and vital functions. The adaptation in the early neonatal period (the first 3–7 days) was assessed according to the following generally accepted criteria: weight dynamics in the early neonatal period; laboratory markers of inflammation as a predictor of intrauterine infection, the level of bilirubinemia and other metabolic indicators.

Results. According to the results of neurosonography, choroid plexus cysts, including subependymal ones, were initially diagnosed in 96 (12.63%) patients. When studying the correlation between localization of cysts and signs of disadaptation reveals that in cases of bilateral location of cystic formations, 55% of newborns with choroid plexus cysts had at least one criterion of maladaptation listed above. Moreover, only in 35.71% of cases signs of maladjustment were observed in children with unilateral choroid plexus cysts. In the group of patients with subependymal pseudocysts, signs of disadaptation were found more often – in 72.72% of newborns with identified bilateral, and in 39.31% with unilateral subependymal cysts.

Discussion. We noticed an increase the frequency of initially diagnosed choroid plexus cysts among full-term newborns (12.63%). We conclude that bilateral choroid plexus cysts and subependymal pseudocysts are a high risk factor of developing early neonatal disadaptation than in children with unilateral choroid plexus cysts (p < 0.05).

Conclusions. It may play greater diagnostic value of bilateral choroid plexus cysts and subependymal pseudocysts as a risk factor of developing early neonatal disadaptation and require more careful monitoring of newborns with such ultrasound findings.

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