MRI Results...

We're back from the NICU for a little while to take care of the animals and to have dinner, so I thought I'd update any readers with the MRI results.

It turns out that the structure of the aqueducts seems to be fine and that the enalrgement of the ventricles is indeed caused by a residual clot from an undetected bleed. The bleed must have been very small, the doc says, because it was very difficult to detect the clot.

So... what this means is this: First off, Dylan is in no immediate danger. The doc believes that the clot could actually disolve and we could be lucky enough to have the entire situation resolve itself without any intervention. The plan is to monitor his head circumference and perform repeat ultrasounds twice a week to watch the size of the ventricles themselves. Should it not resolve on it's own, then they will attempt to draw out the clot with a spinal tap. They would also consider a tap if the pressure actually were to increase to the point of causing symptoms.

Secondly, there is the issue of the brain bleed itself. Brain bleeds can come in many shapes and sizes, with varying degrees of severity. This one was apparently not severe at all, so the outlook is good. Severe brain bleeds can lead to neurological impairment, learning disabilities, ADD and other issues. While there is a slight chance of Dylan being affected in this way, the odds are favorable that this will not be the case, given the apparent insignificance of the bleed.

Overall, although we would have liked more of a resolution, it's good news. There is currently no reason to perform any surgery, and the future outlook is also good.

In other news...

Dyaln's weight is up to 1745 g as of last night. That's 3lbs, 14oz! He's growing like a weed!

And that may actually be the cause of the episodes of bradychardia and low O2 saturation from the last few days. Barbara and I were concerned that inter-cranial pressure caused by the enlarged ventricles was causing neurological difficulty, leading to these issues, but the doctor assures us that these are not issues related to hydrocephalus at all. Increased ventricle size like Dylan has would not actually lead to additional pressure on the brain, unless his head had swollen as well, and all available space was already taken. I turns out that Dylan is simply growing faster than his cardio-pulminary systems can keep up with. It's almost like he is doing "too well".

They wouldn't want to do anything to slow his growth, as growing is what he needs to do most. If the O2 sat and the bradychardia issues become worse, they may have to put Dylan on oxygen to help him keep up with things. This may seem like a step back, but if it does come to pass, it simply means that some systems are growing faster than others. We wouldn't be too concerned about that. It will all even out in due time.

Anyway, that's it for now... more later, maybe.