title: External hydrocephalus in discordant birth weight twins: a case report.
abstract: The term "external hydrocephalus (EH)" is used to describe excessively rapid head growth in infants who are found to have enlarged subarachnoid spaces and little or no ventricular enlargement. EH has not yet been described in discordant birth weight twins. We report the cases of two sets of discordant twins with normal neonatal course and normal neonatal brain ultrasound scans who developed an EH in the first months after birth and had a mild neurodevelopmental delay. Our findings suggest that EH may be part of neurologic morbidity in discordant birth weight twins and represents one of the potential complications to look for in the follow-up of these infants.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gallini
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baranello
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Serrao
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alfieri
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cota
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maggio
authors.forename: Gianpiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tamburrini
authors.forename: Costantino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Romagnoli
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mercuri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000150:complications*; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple / Q000502:physiology; D014427:Twins