Choroid Plexus Cyst

kqualls5

At my 18 week ultrasound they found a cyst on baby's brain. The reason they worry is because it could possibly be trisomy 18, but they won't know until I go back next month and do another ultrasound. My OB said to not stress too much because the odds are very low, but naturally it's hard not to stress about it, because there is a chance, wether it be unlikely or not.

Anyone else have this happen?

sorarose

My DS had one, and I was incredibly freaked out. However, it's only a soft marker, and in the absence of anything else, it's probably fine. 

mhg54

Our little one had this, with no other markers and very (Very) low odds on the NT test. At our follow up everything was perfectly fine. We were told this is very common and not to worry. Easier said than done, I know!

cavkoonar

Don't worry!!! Mine had two on the ultrasound. Resolved on its own by third trimester. Now I have a healthy and beautiful baby girl.

maelic

Our daughter had one and, to spare myself the anxiety, I had a maternal-fetal blood test at 18w to check for trisomies. She's perfectly healthy and what the OB told me at the time was that CPC are a "variation of normal". They can be a soft marker, but in the absence of any other signs they are nothing to worry about. They never even checked to see if it had resolved. 

satuttle1014

I just had my 20 week anatomy scan and they found 1 on our little girl. My doctor said it is normal/common to see and since everything else was perfect my doctor was not worried about it so I'm going to do my best and not worry as well.

krystaveen

I just had my ultrasound a few days ago. Baby has 2 very small choroid plexus cysts. I had a different Doctor than before and she did a terrible job at explaining what they cysts were and how common they are. I left completely distraught and depressed. Thanks to google, online boards, and a phone call from my regular doctor the next day, I am feeling so much better. Just CPCs are not a big concern and they will most likely go away on their own. Worrying is no good for me or baby so I am doing my best to remain calm. Focusing on all the positives of the ultrasound and that feeling I felt when I saw him/her on the monitor.

alanna3622

Count me in for multiple cysts on my son's brain. Freaked out at first, but then talked to a medical friend and feel much better.

The most recent medical knowledge is that brains develop in folds; some folds are not present yet at the time of many second tri ultrasounds. Therefore the physical gap reserved for not-yet-developed brain folds is filled with cerebral spinal fluid. Calling it a cyst on the brain is such a horrible way of describing what is essentially a normal stage of brain development. Yes, the loose correlation is there, but when discovered on its own without the other soft markers (echogenic bowel, low set ears, underdeveloped jaw, single artery umbilical cord, enlarged ventricles, clenched fists, etc) it is not of any interest whatsoever.

The reason that choroid plexus cysts are found so regularly now is a product of the increased use of advanced imaging. When I searched "choroid plexus cyst" on The Bump, there was a link to a very helpful article penned by a US doctor about his frustration with imaging that reveals choroid plexus cysts because they aren't of any use to him (in the absence of the other markers and especially in mothers under the age of 35), and yet he is forced to mention them to a mother and thereby cause needless worry. I am sorry I don't have the link handy now as I would love to share. It was extremely reassuring.

So glad this topic was started as I was literally thinking about how grateful I was to receive this info.

satuttle1014

alanna3622 said:

Count me in for multiple cysts on my son's brain. Freaked out at first, but then talked to a medical friend and feel much better. The most recent medical knowledge is that brains develop in folds; some folds are not present yet at the time of many second tri ultrasounds. Therefore the physical gap reserved for not-yet-developed brain folds is filled with cerebral spinal fluid. Calling it a cyst on the brain is such a horrible way of describing what is essentially a normal stage of brain development. Yes, the loose correlation is there, but when discovered on its own without the other soft markers (echogenic bowel, low set ears, underdeveloped jaw, single artery umbilical cord, enlarged ventricles, clenched fists, etc) it is not of any interest whatsoever. The reason that choroid plexus cysts are found so regularly now is a product of the increased use of advanced imaging. When I searched "choroid plexus cyst" on The Bump, there was a link to a very helpful article penned by a US doctor about his frustration with imaging that reveals choroid plexus cysts because they aren't of any use to him (in the absence of the other markers and especially in mothers under the age of 35), and yet he is forced to mention them to a mother and thereby cause needless worry. I am sorry I don't have the link handy now as I would love to share. It was extremely reassuring. So glad this topic was started as I was literally thinking about how grateful I was to receive this info.

Thanks for the information. It is reassuring, I have done well so far not thinking about it but it's good to hear this. I told this to my husband since I know he is worried, it is our first and when you hear the word "cyst" it's like omg. My mom was freaked out when she heard the word too then once I explained it it made sense. "Cyst" is an awful way to describe it.

sorarose

satuttle1014 said:

alanna3622 said:

Count me in for multiple cysts on my son's brain. Freaked out at first, but then talked to a medical friend and feel much better. The most recent medical knowledge is that brains develop in folds; some folds are not present yet at the time of many second tri ultrasounds. Therefore the physical gap reserved for not-yet-developed brain folds is filled with cerebral spinal fluid. Calling it a cyst on the brain is such a horrible way of describing what is essentially a normal stage of brain development. Yes, the loose correlation is there, but when discovered on its own without the other soft markers (echogenic bowel, low set ears, underdeveloped jaw, single artery umbilical cord, enlarged ventricles, clenched fists, etc) it is not of any interest whatsoever. The reason that choroid plexus cysts are found so regularly now is a product of the increased use of advanced imaging. When I searched "choroid plexus cyst" on The Bump, there was a link to a very helpful article penned by a US doctor about his frustration with imaging that reveals choroid plexus cysts because they aren't of any use to him (in the absence of the other markers and especially in mothers under the age of 35), and yet he is forced to mention them to a mother and thereby cause needless worry. I am sorry I don't have the link handy now as I would love to share. It was extremely reassuring. So glad this topic was started as I was literally thinking about how grateful I was to receive this info.

Thanks for the information. It is reassuring, I have done well so far not thinking about it but it's good to hear this. I told this to my husband since I know he is worried, it is our first and when you hear the word "cyst" it's like omg. My mom was freaked out when she heard the word too then once I explained it it made sense. "Cyst" is an awful way to describe it.

It was the first time Dr. Google was actually a comfort rather than a trigger. I'll never really forgive my OB for talking about it so matter-of-factly without really qualifying what it was (although I remember not really listening after I heard cyst).

kqualls5

Just an update for all you ladies who are going through the same thing: had my 26 week ultrasound yesterday and the cyst is no longer there! My OB told me that she talked to our local high risk OB and he said that they're going to stop using the CPCs as a marker for anything because they're so common and 9.998 times out of 10 they resolve on their own. Best wishes to all of you!!

krystaveen

Thank you all for the information and comments! So reassuring to read. First time mommy here too! Brain and cyst were so scary to hear but you all help so much!

sorarose

kqualls5 said:

Just an update for all you ladies who are going through the same thing: had my 26 week ultrasound yesterday and the cyst is no longer there! My OB told me that she talked to our local high risk OB and he said that they're going to stop using the CPCs as a marker for anything because they're so common and 9.998 times out of 10 they resolve on their own. Best wishes to all of you!!

Ya, my OB said he hates telling women for this very reason, but the insurance company requires him to. Happy it resolved itself!

satuttle1014

I just had my 29 week checkup yesterday and they did an ultrasound and her cyst they found at 20 weeks has filled in. Thankfully! Just a scary term and as a FTM I want to do everything I can right. Thanks to @alanna3622posting some helpful information I was able to understand what the "cyst" was and I did what my doctor told me, don't think about it! She kept telling me everything would be fine. I'm just glad it resolved itself. Best wishes to everyone!