Choroid Plexus Cyst on brain

sorarose · November 2013

Good Morning All,
I had a bit of a rough afternoon and night yesterday, and I was wondering if anyone else was going through or has gone through the same situation. I met with my doctor yesterday and he let me know the results of the sonogram I had about 10 days ago. He told me that the baby has a choroid plexus cyst on his brain. While he assured me that in 20 years of practice, these cysts have always gone away, I was completely freaked out. I read online (the one time online reading about something actually paid off) that these cysts in themselves are not harmful, but are a soft marker for things like Trisomy 18. I'm trying to stay calm and think about how my 12 week said less than a 1 and 10,000 chance of my baby having it, as well as a normal AFP (and he's a boy, and this is rarer for a boy), but my maternal instincts have clearly kicked in.

He also mentioned that the sonogram couldn't capture everything (adding to my worry), so I would need to go back in THREE WEEKS anyway.

Anyone else dealing with this?

zoopsiedaisy · November 2013

I'm sorry you are dealing with this. I hope your LO is just fine as the doctor said. I haven't had my A/S yet but have seen quite a few posts on this over the last couple of weeks. Many of the responses from STM+ are that they resolved on their own. I'm sure a lot of ladies will be responding soon with comforting words. Saying a prayer for you and your LO!!

thomas930 · November 2013

My DD had a few. CPCs are a pretty common find and when found by themselves are not harmful...babies can even be born with them and they will have no lasting affects. Its also common to go back for a recheck or even to get more pictures of the baby if baby wasn't cooperating during the first scan. Try not to worry, usually you would have a decent idea if the baby had more markers to make it more concerning.

maelic · November 2013

My LO has a CPC too. The OB wasn't worried at all, calls them a "variation of normal" in the absence of any other markers for chromosomal disorders. They are not a problem in and of themselves, they either resolve or present no factor in brain development. As the ultrasound specialist said, he could grab random people out of the waiting room and scan them and some of them would have congenital cysts in their brain they never knew about.

Now, I'm anxious. So I decided to take the Mat21 test to rule out Trisomy 18 and the test results all came back perfect. I have no further followup re: the CPC, because the doctors are absolutely not concerned about it.

It's common to need another go at the scan if baby isn't cooperating for measurements, don't worry about that.

littlesocks · November 2013

I got the same news and it scared me as well. I ended up going in for a follow up a/s about a week later where they rechecked everything. My baby doesn't have any other marker for trisomy 18 so they made me feel a lot better. They offered for me to take the MaterniT21 test as well but warned me that it can have a slim chance of false positives and they didn't think it was necessary. I think they knew I had been through enough and even with a slight risk of a false positive, I didn't want to chance it. I just keep praying for my LO. Ill do the same for yours.

porterlove525 · November 2013

Our LO has 2, one on either side of the brain and if your results for T18 came back so low, the baby's hands are open and moving, the cerebellum looks good and there are no visible abnormalities than the chances are very good that the cysts will clear up or not cause an issue. If the doc was worried about other markers they would point them out so try not to worry and I hope the 3 weeks fly by and the cyst has shrunk. If you are still worried they can perform an amnio to rule out T18 100% as well.

We go back for our recheck on 12/24 and I'm not worried at all even after 2 prior losses

Alykate · November 2013

My dd has two one on each side also she had an enlarged ventricle on the left side that they think could be caused because of the cyst, they said that the ventricle was more concern then the cysts. I was a wreck but I am starting to feel more and more confident everyday that nothing is wrong! We did the amnio just to be prepared, wasn't bad at all. Now we are just waiting for the results, hopefully they can ease my mind. But I wouldn't worry about doing the amnio, it sometimes just causes way more stress then needed because risk of misscarriage. I'm sure everything will be ok!

heids4787 · December 2013

My LO has this, too, plus a calcified tendon in her heart. Both can occur in 3% of all healthy babies according to my doctor, but it still scared me. I just got my Panorama test results and she's low risk for all main chromosomal abnormalities, thank goodness! T&P to you and your LO!

fireflygirl12 · December 2013

It's actually pretty common to get CPC's and not have anything wrong. DS1 had 2 of them and my OB reassured me that Trisomy 18 basically affects every part of the body, so the likelihood of it not showing up in several markers is extremely extremely rare. You should also feel relieved that it took your Doctor 10 days to tell you about it. At our hospital, the technician actually calls the patient's OB to let them know about any soft markers while the patient is still there (unknown to the patient of course). My OB knew about it before I even got to her office for my follow up appointment, which was right after. If your OB was at all concerned, then they definitely would have discussed it with you right away.

lajohnso1982 · December 2013

I totally understand what you are going through. It is hard but keep positive. I went through this last month. At the beginning of the month, my LO was diagnosed with CPCs. Three weeks later, we went to see the specialist who told me that they had resolved and were all gone! I reminded myself that my previous genetic testing results were negative for Trisomy 18 and downs syndrome, so the likelihood that it was an actual soft marker was very low. I am sending positive vibes your way! It will be okay!

AmberLiz99 · December 2013

I had the same thing at my scan last week, except my doctor said it's not even enough of an indicator for another scan. I have to get one anyway for my low placenta, but it has nothing to do with they cyst. It's scary, but if your 12 week tests were good there is really no cause for increased alarm. 1-3% of all babies will have these cysts, probably more except that they are not captured on ultrasound because they often disappear before 20 weeks. And my doctor said that over 99% of cases of Trisomy 18 are able to be diagnosed through ultrasound.

I know it's hard, but try not to worry!

DemoDoll · December 2013

My DD1 has choroid plexus cysts on her brain and they went away. I also had the first tri screening done but mine didn't come back at 1/10,000 I think it was 1/5,500. I saw a specialist to do a more detailed u/s at 21 weeks and the cysts were still there. We did another one at 27 weeks and they were gone. They are really just fluid pockets full of the same fluid that is in your brain cavity. The specialist I saw explained it like blood blisters, they will either fill up and pop or shrivel up and disappear. Either way, it's totally fine. Another marker for Edward syndrome is clubbed feet and clenched fists. I'm sure they will check these at your next u/s. FWIW, I've known quite a few babies that have had those cysts and none of them had any chromosomal abnormalities.

I know it's hard not to worry because I was in the same shoes as you, worrying my little heart out. But hopefully hearing someone else's success story can put your mind at ease some. Hoping your next few weeks fly by!

RebeccaY1 · December 2013

I dealt with this last month. We met with a genetic counsellor who told us exactly what this was, then had another ultrasound with a technician. A doctor came in and did a 3D ultrasound just to check again. They found nothing and mentioned that many adults have them and don't even know it. As ultrasounds get better they find more things, but sometimes the things they find are just normal. They also did the Harmony test to be extra sure. All the results demonstrated that the cyst had gone, which is perfectly normal.