title: Potential role of fetal cardiac evaluation with magnetic resonance imaging: preliminary experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report our experience with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in fetal heart evaluation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two radiologists examined 31 MRI of fetuses with no ultrasound (US) evidence of cardio-thoracic anomalies. T2-weighted half-Fourier single-shot turbo spin-echo sequences were acquired for anatomic evaluation; fast imaging with steady-state free precession (TrueFISP) and cine-MR sequences with real-time steady-state free precession oriented like standard fetal echocardiographic projections were acquired for the characterization of cardiovascular morphology and function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In every case, MRI assessed the viscero-atrial situs. The four-chamber view and the short-axis view of the left ventricle were obtained in all fetuses, the long-axis view of the aortic arch in 28, the long-axis view of the ductus arteriosus in 17, the five-chamber view in 12, the long-axis of the left ventricle in 9, the three-vessel view in 7, the tricuspid-aortic view in 3, and the transverse view of the aortic arch and the angulated view of the arch and the ductus arteriosus simultaneously in 2 fetuses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our preliminary experience demonstrates the feasibility to visualize the fetal heart with routine fetal MRI protocols in particular, by means of acquisition of TrueFISP imaging (morphological study) and real-time cine-MRI (dynamic study), potentially making MRI a second-level tool to add to fetal echocardiography in the prenatal study of congenital cardiac malformations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiological Sciences, Umberto I Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Manganaro
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Savelli
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Maurizio
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perrone
authors.forename: Jacopo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tesei
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Francioso
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Angeletti
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Coratella
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Irimia
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fierro
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ventriglia
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ballesio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*