Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Choroid Plexus Cyst

We had a pretty scary doctors appointment yesterday afternoon. The doctor told us he saw a Choroid Plexus Cyst on the baby's brain in the ultrasound. He said this fairly common and he has seen quite a few before. He said that the cyst alone does not cause any harm and usually goes away before delivery. However, he suggested we go to a Maternal and Fetal Specialist to have a more detailed ultrasound because the cyst along with other signs could mean the baby has Trisomy 18. I know one other sign they are looking for are clinched fist which we see in the pictures of the ultrasound but during the ultrasound she had her hand open at times and waving. Trisomy 18 is a chromosome disorder where the baby has two of the 18th chromosome. This usually results in a miscarriage or death soon after birth. My doctor said he has never seen a case where the cyst turns out to be Trisomy 18 and he said with my age we are much lower risk of this happening. He said usually by the time the patient goes to the specialist the cyst has resolved itself and there are no future complications or checks that need to be made. We have an appointment with the specialist next Thursday to hopefully clear all of this up and move on with the happy and exciting pregnancy. I, of course, am a nervous wreck and would like answers right away. All of the research I am doing on the internet has positive results and according to doctors research there is a 99% chance that this is nothing. Many doctors are arguing that they should not even tell patients about this since it causes the parents to stress when it is unnecessary.
Other than the cyst the doctor said she is doing great. Her heart is great. Her heartbeat was 140 yesterday. At the ultrasound she was measuring perfect for 18 weeks (40th percentile). The doctor was very reassuring that the cyst would not be a problem. He is required to tell us about it. And he suggests the follow-up ultrasound just to reassure parents that they should not be concerned.
I'm trying to stay positive and Tommy has been a huge support. I know many parents have to deal with things alot worse then this. We have been blessed so far with a very uneventful and perfect pregnancy. We just hope that we get nothing but good news for the next 4 months!

2010 is going to be a great year!

8 comments:

Erin said...

We had one found on the right hemisphere of our little guys brain at our 18 week anatomy ultrasound too. We were sent to a specialist (I think at 21 weeks) and it was still there but everything else looked perfect but the cyst was still there. We went back at 29 weeks and it was gone and he was perfect . . but it is very scary waiting! Praying for you guys but I have a good feeling everything will be perfect!

VAF said...

My son also had a CPC at his 20 week anatomy U/S, but by 31 weeks it was gone, and he was born perfect and healthy. I am sure everything will be fine with your little girl too. In the meantime, try not to worry too much (I know, easier said than done!). Happy New Year!

Mrs. Mother said...

We lost a baby last year to Trisomy 18, and she did not have a cyst at all. From my research, it's a very, very soft marker. Harder markers include the clenched fists, rocker bottom feet and cystic hygromas. Another one is measuring small for dates. Our baby was always about two weeks behind.

It sounds like the cyst for your baby is nothing, and it will all be fine. I know it's scary to hear anything like that, but I'm sure you're fine.

Stacey said...

Thanks for all of the nice comments. I know this all going to turn out ok. It's just so hard not to worry. Hope all of you have a great New years!

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