Neurosonographic findings in full-term infants born to maternal cocaine abusers: visualization of subependymal and periventricular cysts

Abstract

Neuroanatomical abnormalities have been linked to maternal cocaine abuse since Chasnoff et al's report of cerebral infarction in a single full-term offspring of a cocaine-abusing mother. Neurosonography was performed on 18 full-term offspring of cocaine-abusing mothers and 19 age-matched controls to look for possible abnormalities. There were no cases of infarction or intraparenchymal or intraventricular hemorrhage. There were, however, 6 patients with abnormalities among the cocaine-abusing group: 5 patients with unilateral or bilateral germinal matrix cysts and 3 patients with subtle cystic or predominantly cystic areas in watershed zones consistent with periventricular leukomalacia.