Dilated perivascular spaces in neonates

Perivascular spaces (PVS) are fluid-filled cavities around the blood vessels in the brain. In adults, dilated PVS (dPVS) is known to increase with age but dPVS in neonates is poorly understood. In this study, we performed both visual and volumetric evaluation of dPVS in neonates using T2-weighted images from the Developing Human Connectome project. We found that gender did not affect dPVS extent in neonates, preterm neonates had lower dPVS extent than term neonates, and dPVS fraction decreased with gestational age (GA) at MRI scan.