Fetal Brain Abnormalities

The Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program provides comprehensive evaluation and management of fetal brain abnormalities. Our program combines expertise from specialists in maternal-fetal medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, pediatric radiology, and neonatology to provide holistic prenatal and postnatal management of fetal brain abnormalities.  

What are genetic and fetal brain abnormalities?

Abnormalities or differences in brain and central nervous system development can occur during fetal development. These may include ventriculomegaly (enlarged brain ventricles), absent corpus callosum (the nerve fibers that join the two hemispheres of the brain), cerebellar abnormalities (the area of the brain that controls balance), and other brain malformations.

How do you diagnose fetal brain abnormalities?

Your child’s fetal brain abnormality may be seen or suspected on fetal ultrasound, but a fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be recommended to better visualize the brain. We partner with our pediatric neurology and neurosurgery teams to monitor your fetus’s development and ensure that they receive the care they need.

What does having a fetal brain abnormality mean for my child?

How or even whether your child will be impacted depends on many factors, including the area of the brain affected, the severity of the finding, and whether other organ systems or genetic differences are seen.

How does the Packard Children’s Hospital team typically treat fetal brain abnormalities?

Treatment is individualized to the patient, depending on the type of brain abnormality. As part of our multidisciplinary team, pediatric neurology and pediatric neurosurgery, along with neonatology, are involved in providing extraordinary and innovative care for patients with brain abnormalities both prenatally and after delivery, including in our highly specialized NeuroNICU.