MRI of the Fetal Central Nervous System and Body
Section snippets
Indications
Fetal MRI is primarily used to evaluate abnormalities of the fetal central nervous system (CNS) or fetal body that are detected by routine prenatal sonography. Most commonly, fetal MRI is performed to evaluate suspected brain abnormalities. In these cases, it is performed to confirm the sonographically detected abnormality, further characterize it, and identify any additional sonographically occult CNS abnormalities.1, 2 Although no formal data exist, it is well accepted that prenatal
Safety of fetal MRI
There are no known deleterious effects of fetal MRI on the fetus when performed on MRI scanners that are 1.5 Tesla strength or lower.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Recent guidelines by the American College of Radiology on safe MRI practice states that “Pregnant patients can be accepted to undergo MRI scans at any stage of pregnancy if, in the determination of a Level Two MRI Personnel designated attending radiologist, the risk/benefit ratio to the patient warrants that the study be performed.”9 When
Imaging techniques
Fetal MRI is routinely performed on 1.5 Tesla scanners. There are several limitations to fetal MRI, including fetal motion, the small size of the structure being imaged (particularly at younger gestational ages), and the distance between the receiver coil and the structure being imaged. Because of this, fetal MRI is usually not performed until 20 gestational weeks for evaluation of the fetal body and until 22 gestational weeks for evaluation of the fetal brain and spine. An 8-channel torso
Clinical applications of fetal MRI
It is important to be familiar with the normal appearance of fetal structures before interpreting images for the presence of any fetal abnormalities. This is especially important when evaluating the fetal brain, which is a very dynamic structure whose appearance on fetal MRI changes on a weekly basis. The reader is referred to several excellent reviews of the normal appearance of the fetal brain on MRI.30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 Although the neurologic and body indications for clinical fetal MRI
Summary
Fetal MRI is being increasingly used to assess for fetal abnormalities. Although significant progress in the field of fetal MRI has occurred during the past 20 years, continued technical advances will likely contribute to significant growth of the field. Moreover, with continued hardware and software improvements, additional MRI sequences, which are rapid and therefore feasible to use in clinical practice, will likely become available. Prenatal MRI complements ultrasound because of larger
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2016, International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology ExtraNon-central nervous system fetal magnetic resonance imaging
2015, Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal MedicineCitation Excerpt :Others, such as France, have provided more data from 24 weeks to birth and are gradually adding growth curves for earlier gestational ages [11]. There are numerous reviews [12–14] and research papers [15–17] on the value of fetal MRI for CNS abnormalities. A recent systematic review is an ideal starting point [18].
Fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging
2014, Twining's Textbook of Fetal Abnormalities, Third EditionMagnetic resonance methods in fetal neurology
2012, Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal MedicineCitation Excerpt :Premyelination – which is the state of the axons before the onset of myelination – of the internal capsule, and the brainstem, as well as cell density in the primary cortical regions and the basal ganglia can be recognized.9 Diffusion-weighted imaging is sensitive to the normal maturational changes and may be of value in the detection of abnormalities of brain development that cannot be detected with T2- or T1-weighted images.22 Infratentorial development, which is regarded as crucial for the generation of normal movement patterns, can be assessed and quantified with in-vivo fetal MRI.23
Foetal brain extraction using mathematically modelled local foetal minima
2023, International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and TechnologyPrenatal diagnosis of iniencephaly. Case report
2021, Revista de Obstetricia y Ginecologia de Venezuela