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Fetal brain tissue characterization at 1.5 T using STrategically Acquired Gradient Echo (STAGE) imaging

  • Magnetic Resonance
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To estimate human fetal brain MRI tissue properties including apparent T1 (T1app) and apparent proton density (PDapp) by using a rapid multi-contrast acquisition protocol called STrategically Acquired Gradient Echo (STAGE) imaging.

Methods

STAGE data were collected using two flip angles (15° and 60°, with a TR = 600 ms) for 30 pregnant women at 1.5 T (15 healthy controls: gestational age (GA) range 19 + 1/7 weeks to 34 + 5/7 weeks; 11 abnormal subjects with ventriculomegaly: GA range 21 + 5/7 weeks to 31 + 5/7 weeks; 4 subjects with other abnormalities). Both T1app and PDapp maps of the fetal brain were calculated from the STAGE data. A region-of-interest-based approach was used to measure T1app and PDapp in the subplate/intermediate zone (SP/IZ), cortical plate (CP), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the fetal brain.

Results

The ratios of T1appSP/IZ/T1appCP and PDappSP/IZ/PDappCP were larger than unity while T1appSP/IZ/T1appCSF and PDappSP/IZ/PDappCSF were both less than unity.

Conclusions

STAGE imaging provides a potential practical approach to estimate multi-parametric properties of the human fetal brain.

Key Points

• STAGE is feasible in measuring fetal brain tissue properties.

• Water content in cortical plate and subplate/intermediate zone approaches that of cerebrospinal fluid in early gestational ages.

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Abbreviations

CP:

Cortical plate

CSF:

Cerebrospinal fluid

GA:

Gestational age

HASTE:

Half-Fourier single shot turbo spin echo

SP/IZ:

Subplate/intermediate

STAGE:

Strategically acquired gradient echo

VM:

Ventriculomegaly

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Funding

The authors state that this work has not received any funding.

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Author notes

  1. Zhaoxia Qian and E. Mark Haacke contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA

    Feifei Qu, Brijesh Kumar Yadav & E. Mark Haacke

  2. Department of Radiology, International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Taotao Sun, Ling Jiang & Zhaoxia Qian

  3. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Diseases, Shanghai, China

    Taotao Sun, Ling Jiang & Zhaoxia Qian

  4. Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China

    Taotao Sun & Zhaoxia Qian

  5. Department of Neurology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA

    Yongsheng Chen

  6. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University College of Engineering, Detroit, MI, USA

    E. Mark Haacke

  7. SpinTech, Inc., Bingham Farms, MI, USA

    E. Mark Haacke

Authors
  1. Feifei Qu
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  2. Taotao Sun
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  3. Yongsheng Chen
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  4. Brijesh Kumar Yadav
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  5. Ling Jiang
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  6. Zhaoxia Qian
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  7. E. Mark Haacke
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Zhaoxia Qian or E. Mark Haacke.

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Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Dr. E. Mark Haacke.

Conflict of interest

E. M. Haacke is the Chief Scientific Officer of SpinTech.

Statistics and biometry

One of the authors has significant statistical expertise.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study.

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Institutional Review Board approval was obtained.

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Feifei Qu and Taotao Sun are co-first authors.

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Qu, F., Sun, T., Chen, Y. et al. Fetal brain tissue characterization at 1.5 T using STrategically Acquired Gradient Echo (STAGE) imaging. Eur Radiol 31, 5586–5594 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-07618-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-07618-7

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