The Doctor's Findings on the Ultrasound

20 Weeks 4 days along!!

Today I got a phone call from the genetics department of Kaiser Permanente in regards to yesterday's ultrasound findings. Right away, she told me not too be too concerned but they found what is known as a Choroid Plexus Cyst in the baby’s head near the brain. She reassured me that if the cyst is a single small cyst (which it seems to be) and no other problems are found with the fetus, chances are good that the baby is going to be OK. She told me that every other part of the baby was perfect and she honestly believes that everything is going to be OK. I found some information on this kind of cyst that will help you understand what it is: The choroid plexus is soft tissue in the ventricles, which are fluid-filled spaces located on both sides at the base of the brain. The choroid plexus itself is in the head but not in the brain per se, but it contains fluid that bathes the spinal cord (via the ventricles) and the brain itself.

Cysts are pockets of fluid and/or cells. During our ultrasound, a technician checked the choroid plexus for dark spots, which would indicate fluid or a cyst. In the second trimester, any spot in the choroid that's bigger than 10 millimeters is considered a cyst worth mentioning. CPCs, which occur in as many as 1 in 40 normal pregnancies, are small cystic areas often found on routine second-trimester ultrasounds. Half the time, CPCs occur on one side of the brain only (unilateral), and the other half they're on both sides (bilateral). Well over 90% of CPCs disappear on their own by the 26th week of pregnancy without ever affecting the fetus.

Although there's some controversy over whether fetuses with CPCs have an increased risk of chromosome abnormalities, if there is a risk, it's very small. If a fetus has only one isolated cyst smaller than 10 mm, the risk is probably no more than it would be anyway based on the mother's age. But if the fetus has other abnormalities, the risk rises. In most fetuses with trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome), for example, and many with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), signs of the abnormalities show up on ultrasound which in our case, everything else checked out fine.

A bloodtest can help us decide whether we need an amniocentesis, an invasive diagnostic test for chromosomal anomalies where they actually take a needle and gather amniotic fluid to test. However, with amniocentesis, there is a risk of miscarriage associated. Since we will love this child no matter what and would never dream of terminating this pregnancy, the risks far outweigh the benefits for this kind of diagnostic test and we have already decided not to do it. I took the bloodtest today and I will get the results in a week which will give me a general idea of our risk level. I’ll keep you posted!