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Polymicrogyria and Congenital Parvovirus B19 Infection
Identifier
027595
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Polymicrogyria is a condition characterized by abnormal development of the brain before birth. The surface of the brain normally has many ridges or folds, called gyri. In people with polymicrogyria, the brain develops too many folds, and the folds are unusually small.
Hydrops fetalis is a condition in the fetus characterized by an accumulation of fluid, or edema, in at least two fetal compartments.
A description of the experience
AJP Rep. 2011 Dec; 1(2): 105–110. Published online 2011 Aug 2. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1285984 PMCID: PMC3653533 PMID: 23705097 Polymicrogyria and Congenital Parvovirus B19 Infection Grant S. Schulert, M.D., Ph.D.,1 William F. Walsh, M.D.,1,2 and Jörn-Hendrik Weitkamp, M.D.1,2
Abstract
Fetal parvovirus B19 infection causes anaemia, hydrops, and pregnancy loss but is generally not considered teratogenic. Nevertheless, disturbances of neuronal migration have been described with congenital parvovirus infection.
We evaluated a term infant with congenital parvovirus disease and polymicrogyria. We compared this case with four other reports of central nervous system disease after birth to parvovirus-infected mothers.
After an extensive diagnostic evaluation, this infant was found to have congenital parvovirus disease with severe anaemia and nonimmune hydrops as well as extensive polymicrogyria. Although rare, this report and literature review suggest that parvovirus B19 has the potential to disrupt normal neurodevelopment.
We suggest that infants with severe congenital parvovirus infection have close developmental surveillance and if symptomatic undergo neuroimaging to assess for disorders of neuromigration.