Chen XL, Zhang LQ, Bai LL. Ultrasound features of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in the first trimester: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(5): 97629 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i5.97629]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xiao-Li Chen, Department of Ultrasound, Wenzhou Central Hospital, No. 252 West Baili Road, Lucheng District, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China. 107701972@qq.com
Research Domain of This Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Feb 16, 2025; 13(5): 97629 Published online Feb 16, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i5.97629
Ultrasound features of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in the first trimester: A case report
Xiao-Li Chen, Li-Qiang Zhang, Li-Li Bai
Xiao-Li Chen, Li-Qiang Zhang, Li-Li Bai, Department of Ultrasound, Wenzhou Central Hospital, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-first authors: Xiao-Li Chen and Li-Qiang Zhang.
Author contributions: Chen XL and Zhang LQ wrote and edited the manuscript, and collected data, they contributed equally to this manuscript; Zhang LQ generated the concept and supervised the process; Bai LL analyzed data; and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xiao-Li Chen, Department of Ultrasound, Wenzhou Central Hospital, No. 252 West Baili Road, Lucheng District, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China. 107701972@qq.com
Received: June 4, 2024 Revised: October 11, 2024 Accepted: November 4, 2024 Published online: February 16, 2025 Processing time: 167 Days and 23.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection represents a significant public health concern as the most prevalent viral infection in newborns, potentially leading to severe neurological and developmental complications. The majority of cases are asymptomatic and remain undetected during pregnancy due to the absence of effective screening methods.
CASE SUMMARY
A 27-year-old primigravida presented for early pregnancy ultrasound, which revealed an atypical finding: A normal anechoic thalamus appearing hyperechoic on the mid-sagittal view of the fetal head. Subsequent ultrasound examinations during mid and late gestation demonstrated classic intracranial features suggestive of congenital CMV infection. Chromosomal karyotyping and microarray analysis of the fetus yielded no significant abnormalities. Following comprehensive prenatal counseling regarding potential adverse fetal outcomes, the patient elected to continue her pregnancy. She ultimately underwent cesarean delivery at 42 weeks gestation at another facility, resulting in the birth of a female neonate. At five months of age, the infant presented with epilepsy and significant growth and developmental delays.
CONCLUSION
Congenital CMV infection occurs during the first trimester may manifest as hyperechoic thalamus which can be revealed by ultrasound in the mid-saggital view of the fetal head. Future research should investigate the correlation between echogenic thalamus and developmental outcomes, as well as explore early screening techniques for suspected congenital CMV infection cases.
Core Tip: We present a case of a fetus infected with cytomegalovirus, characterized by distinctive ultrasound findings during early gestation. The patient underwent a thorough diagnostic evaluation, systematically excluding chromosomal abnormalities and other potential infections. The definitive diagnosis was established based on characteristic ultrasound manifestations typically observed in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.
