Striatal vasculopathy is a special type of change in the vessels of the brain in infants. Doctors consider this condition to be a consequence of various pathological processes. It indicates that the baby during the fetal period or during birth was exposed to some unfavorable factor. However, the fetus was able to cope with the dysfunction. Typically, these changes are detected by chance when the baby is done neurosonography. Such a diagnosis is made to every fifth child.
Signs
Typically, changes in blood vessels are detected in children aged about 3 months and older. This condition in most cases does not affect the well-being of the child. It can be detected only with neurosonography. The following signs of striatal vasculopathy are found in the results of the study:
- Deposits of calcium salts (calcifications) are detected in the vessels.
- Calcification is also observed in nerve tissue.
- Deposits are determined mainly in the thalamus area.
These changes indicate adverse effects on the mother's body during pregnancy or during childbirth, which affected the baby.
Causes
Striatal vasculopathy is a consequence of oxygen starvation of the fetal brain during the prenatal period or during childbirth. The following causes of this condition can be distinguished:
- Fetal hypoxia during embryonic development.
- Delay of the child in the birth canal. At this time, the baby experiences a severe oxygen deficiency. This leads to cerebral ischemia. The middle cerebral artery is most affected by a lack of oxygen . In this case, calcification of the tissue and vessels of the thalamus occurs.
- Injury to the child during childbirth. At the same time, cysts can form in the thalamus region, which undergo calcification over time.
- With a long entanglement of a child with an umbilical cord, hypoxia of the baby's brain occurs.
- Increased uterine tone in a pregnant woman. This leads to compression of the vessels of the umbilical cord and insufficient blood supply to the brain of the fetus.
- Premature aging of the placenta. Such a pathology can cause fetal malnutrition.
- Iodine deficiency during pregnancy. This causes a violation of the development of brain tissue in the embryo.
Diagnostics
Identify striatal vasculopathy in newborns using neurosonography. The diagnostic procedure is carried out through the fontanel. This is an examination of the brain using ultrasound. It allows you to identify the following changes:
- compaction of the walls of blood vessels;
- deposits of calcium salts in the tissue of the thalamus.
If striatal vasculopathy is detected in the baby, then the baby should be shown to a neurologist. Even if a small patient does not have any deviations in well-being, it is necessary that a specialist examine the child. In some cases, calcification of blood vessels and brain tissue can be caused by a hereditary disease - Far's disease. This is a rather rare ailment, but it cannot be completely ruled out.
Do I need treatment
Should striatal vasculopathy be treated? If calcification is observed in a child aged 1 month, then usually no medication is prescribed. The child is registered with a pediatric neurologist and observed. At three months of age, repeated neurosonography is done. If calcifications are still found in the thalamus, then drugs are prescribed to improve cerebral circulation and metabolism in the brain tissues:
- Pantogam
- Cortexin;
- "Emoxipin".
The child should take these medicines before the age of six months. Most often, after the treatment, calcifications decrease or completely disappear. If this does not happen, then doctors raise the question of the need for a neurosurgical operation to remove deposits. However, such measures have to be resorted to very rarely.
Effects
What is the danger of calcification in the thalamus? This area of the brain is responsible for the sensory organs, with the exception of the perception of odors. Therefore, the presence of large calcifications can lead to visual, hearing and touch disturbances. In addition, over time, atrophy of the thalamus is formed. Also, calcification of the thalamus can lead to a delay in the mental development of the child. This is often accompanied by movement disorders and pathological reflexes.
Prevention
How to prevent striatal vasculopathy in a baby? This condition is always a consequence of cerebral ischemia. It is very important to abandon all bad habits during the gestation period. Maternal smoking during pregnancy often causes fetal hypoxia. A pregnant woman should consume as many high iodine foods as possible. This will contribute to the correct formation of the nervous tissue of the unborn child.
It is necessary to follow all the recommendations of the obstetrician-gynecologist. If the birth was difficult, then it is necessary to show the baby to a pediatric neurologist as soon as possible. Any violations of labor can cause cerebral ischemia in the child and the formation of calcifications.