In vivo MRI of the fetal brain.
We report MRI of the brain in 45 fetuses; the findings were confirmed by pathological examination or postnatal neuroradiological studies. MRI necessitates medication to eliminate fetal motion; curare was injected into the umbilical cord, and MRI is therefore limited to cases in which umbilical cord puncture is indicated. T1-weighted images were obtained in axial, sagittal and coronal planes; the last of these were generally as the most useful as regards morphology. We demonstrated cerebral malformations (n = 13), brain haemorrhage (n = 1), a facial angioma (n = 1), a facial mass (n = 1), hydrocephalus (n = 5), unilateral ventricular enlargement (n = 1), atrophy (n = 4), a porencephalic cyst (n = 1) and normal appearances of the brain in 18 cases. Twenty-two of the fetuses were born alive, and the clinical and/or neuroradiological examination confirmed the antenatal findings. The diagnosis was also confirmed in 8 cases in which a neuropathological examination was possible.
Hôpital Nord, Marseille, France.
N
N
Girard
C
C
Raybaud
C
C
Dercole
L
L
Boubli
C
C
Chau
S
S
Cahen
A
A
Potier
M
M
Gamerre
D061085:Agenesis of Corpus Callosum; D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012016:Reference Values