Prevalence of Developmental Venous Anomalies Increases With Age

Abstract

Background and Purpose— To test the hypothesis that developmental venous anomalies (DVAs) may develop in the postnatal period, we studied the age-related prevalence of DVAs on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Methods— Reports from a consecutive series of head magnetic resonance images with intravenous contrast performed over a 2-year period at our institution were reviewed. Studies reporting the presence of a DVA were retrieved and reviewed by a neuroradiologist. Patients were divided into 4 age groups: (1) <1 year old (neonates/infants), (2) 1 to 5 years old (toddlers and preschoolers), (3) 6 to 17 years old (grade schoolers), and (4) ≥18 years old (adults), and DVA prevalence by age group was studied. Results— A total of 18 073 individuals were included. DVA prevalence in the neonate/infant age group was 1.5% (5/335) compared with 7.1% (51/714) in the toddler/preschool age group. In both the grade-school age group and adult age group, DVA prevalence was 9.6% (150/1557 and 1483/15 467, respectively). Neonates/infants were significantly less likely to have DVAs than other age groups ( P <0.001). Conclusions— We found a very low prevalence of DVAs on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in patients <1 year old which was significantly lower than other age groups. These findings suggest that postnatal changes in venous architecture and drainage patterns may contribute to the development of DVAs.