Microcephaly

Considerations:
Microcephaly most often occurs because of failure of the brain to grow at a normal rate. Skull growth (which occurs along the suture lines) is determined by brain expansion, which takes place during the normal growth of the brain. Conditions and disease that affect brain growth cause microcephaly.

Microcephaly is often associated with some degree of mental retardation .

Microcephaly may occur following brain-damaging infections in the extremely young infant (such as meningitis and meningoencephalitis ).

Common Causes:

Note: There may be other causes of microcephaly. This list is not all inclusive, and the causes are not presented in order of likelihood. The causes of this symptom can include unlikely diseases and medications. Furthermore, the causes may vary based on age and gender of the affected person, as well as on the specific characteristics of the symptom such as quality and associated complaints. Use the Symptom Analysis option to explore the possible explanations for microcephaly, occurring alone or in combination with other problems.

Home Care:
There are no specific home care procedures for microcephaly. Care depends on the condition that caused the microcephaly.

Call Your Healthcare Provider If:
Microcephaly is often diagnosed at birth or during routine well-baby examinations when the infant's height, weight and head circumference is measured. If you suspect your infant's head size is too small or not growing normally, consult your health care provider.

What to Expect:
This finding is usually discovered by the health care provider during routine examination. Head measurements are a routine procedure during a well-baby examination up to 18 months (longer in certain circumstances). They are painless and take only a few seconds while the measuring tape is placed around the infant's head.

Documenting microcephaly in detail may include:

  • What is the head circumference ?
  • Is the head growing at a slower rate than the body?
  • What other symptoms are also present?

Note: A record of the head circumference should be maintained over time.

After seeing your health care provider:
Although the health care provider maintains records on your baby, it may be helpful to maintain your own records of the well-baby findings, and to bring your records to the health care provider's attention if you notice that the infant's head growth pattern seems to be decreasing. If a diagnosis was made by your health care provider related to microcephaly, you may want to note that diagnosis in your personal medical record.


This illustration shows the "sutures" or anatomical lines where the bony plates of the skull join together. These sutures can be easily felt in the newborn infant. The diamond shaped space on the top of the skull and the smaller space further to the back are often referred to as the "soft spot" in young infants.



This is a normal fetal ultrasound performed at 17 weeks gestation. The development of the brain and nervous system begins early in fetal development. During an ultrasound, the technician usually looks for the presence of brain ventricles. Ventricles are spaces in the brain that are filled with fluid. In this early ultrasound, the ventricles can be seen as light lines extending through the skull, seen in the upper right side of the image. The cross hair is pointing to the front of the skull, and directly to the right, the lines of the ventricles are visible.