title: [Idiopathic pericerebral swelling (external hydrocephalus) of infants].
abstract: Benign enlargement of the subarachnoid spaces was diagnosed in 41 infants on the basis of ultrasound and/or CT scan findings. 10 MHz transfontanellar ultrasonography is without doubt the most reliable investigation in this condition (skull-to-cortex distance greater than 5 mm). Patients with extracerebral collections due to a clearly identifiable pathologic process (e.g., prematurity, IUGR, neonatal distress, malnutrition) were excluded from the study. Macrocrania developed rapidly in 72% of patients, either as the single manifestation (30%) or with delayed motor development and hypotonia (30%). Other clinical patterns included evidence of intracranial hypertension (15%) and hypotonia without macrocrania (20%). The two main findings of this study were the high rate of familial forms and the severity of early hemorrhagic complications, i.e., spontaneous subdural hematoma (5/41 cases), with permanent neurologic impairment in some instances (2/5 cases). These complications call into question the benignity of this syndrome whose long-term outcome, particularly in terms of cognitive function, is as yet unknown.
authors.affiliation: Service de Neuropédiatrie, Centre Gui de Chauliac, Montpellier.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azais
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Echenne
mesh_terms: D004453:Echoencephalography; D005260:Female; D005624:Frontal Bone / Q000002:abnormalities; D006408:Hematoma, Subdural / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009123:Muscle Hypotonia / Q000473:pathology; D009777:Occipital Bone / Q000002:abnormalities; D012886:Skull / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013346:Subarachnoid Space; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
vernacular_title: Epanchements péricérébraux idiopathiques (hydrocéphalie externe) du nourrisson.