Neurocognitive Assessment in Children With Prenatal Diagnosis of Apparently Isolated Obliteration of Cavum Septi Pellucidi

Objectives: To evaluate the neurological development of children with prenatally detected obliterated cavum septi pellucidi. Methods: We analyzed the presence of associated cerebral or extracerebral anomalies at the referral neurosonography and, if available, at the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Those children were then evaluated postnatally by a standardized neurological and neuropsychological assessment. Results: We enrolled 16 cases with obliterated CSP. In 2/16 (12.6%) cases, neurosonography identified additional findings. Among the 14 cases in which the obliteration of the CSP was apparently isolated, MRI was performed in 5/14 cases (35.7%) and confirmed the early obliteration of the CSP. In 3/14 cases (21.4%), fluid between the membranes of the septum pellucidum was eventually found in later gestation. We evaluated postnatally 9 children. Neuropsychological findings, adjusted for the patients' varying ages, were within normal limits and neurological development was age-appropriate in all subjects examined, except for one case, with a severe neurodevelopmental disorder of unknown etiology. Conclusions: Obliterated CSP was a transient finding in 20% of cases. Most children demonstrated typical neural development at detailed follow-up studies, except for one case with severe neurological disability.