Cerebral arteriovenous shunts regression in two preterm newborns with heart failure in utero.

ABSTRACT

In this report, the cases of two newborn infants with cerebral arteriovenous shunts and heart failure in utero are presented. Different from the malformations of the vein of Galen, which usually generate a progressive and lethal heart failure after birth, our cases show heart failure resolution after birth, together with cerebral vascular shunt disappearance. Therefore, we hypothesized that the opening of arteriovenous shunts was a secondary modification due to the intrauterine heart failure. From our cases, it appears that, despite the dramatic echographic appearance, generalized cerebral venous dilatation can resolve spontaneously without sequelae.