Cerebral Malformations Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 during Pregnancy

Santiago Presti; Federica Dierna; Antonio Zanghì; Michele Vecchio; Salvatore Lavalle; Elena R. Praticò; Martino Ruggieri; Agata Polizzi

doi:10.1055/s-0044-1786785

Journal of Pediatric Neurology, Table of Contents

Journal of Pediatric Neurology 2024; 22(05): 419-423
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1786785

Review Article

Cerebral Malformations Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 during Pregnancy

Authors

Santiago Presti

¹Pediatrics Postgraduate Residency Program, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Federica Dierna

¹Pediatrics Postgraduate Residency Program, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Antonio Zanghì

²Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, Research Center for Surgery of Complex Malformation Syndromes of Transition and Adulthood, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Michele Vecchio

³Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Rehabilitation Unit, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Salvatore Lavalle

⁴Chair of Radiology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Kore Universisty, Enna, Italy
Elena R. Praticò

⁵Unit of Pediatrics, Carpi Hospital, Carpi, Italy
Martino Ruggieri

⁶Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Unit of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Agata Polizzi

⁷Chair of Pediatrics, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

Abstract

The pandemic of severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has shown a wide spectrum of possible consequences in children, ranging from asymptomatic patients to the development of severe conditions, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and encephalopathies related to cytokine storm. Specifically, neurological and neuroimaging abnormalities, ranging from mild-to-the severe ones, have been documented in children as well, such as postinfectious immune-mediated acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, myelitis, neural enhancement, cranial nerve enhancement, and cortical injury, also without neurological symptoms. Considering the neurotropism of coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2, which has been well described in the literature, we reviewed the literature reporting possible cerebral malformation in neonates due to the infection of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during pregnancy might develop cerebral disorders in several ways. Articles in English in the literature were screened using the following search terms: (1) “brain malformations” AND “COVID-19”; (2) “cerebral malformations” AND “COVID-19”; (3) brain malformations AND “Sars-Cov-2”; (4) “cerebral malformations “AND “Sars-Cov-2.” Considering the congenital brain malformation found in newborns exposed to infection of SARS-Cov-2 pre- or neonatally, we identified one paper which reported three neonates with cerebral malformation. Although sporadic, cerebral malformations like atypical signals in white matter with delayed myelination, brain dysplasia/hypoplasia with delayed myelination, and unusual signals in the periventricular regions have been documented.

Keywords

COVID-19 - malformations - syndromes - brain - development

Full Text

References

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