title: Maternal smoking and fetal lung signals--an in utero MRI investigation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether fetal lung signals and fetal lung signal progression over gestation observed on magnetic resonance imaging are different in mothers who reported smoking during pregnancy compared with nonsmoking controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional retrospective study of 100 consecutive singleton pregnancies that underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Fetal lung-liver signal intensity ratios of 18 fetuses of mothers who reported smoking during pregnancy were compared with 82 fetuses of nonsmoking controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Average gestational age at magnetic resonance imaging was 26.4 ± 5.2 weeks (Range 18.4-38.2 weeks). Cases reported smoking between 2 and 15 cigarettes per day. The mean number of cigarettes per day for cases was 9.2 ± 3.4. Mean fetal lung-liver signal intensity ratios did not differ significantly between the two groups (p = 0.8). They showed a linear increase with gestational age (r(2) = 0.3). Multiple regression analysis of lung-liver signal intensity ratios using gestational age and smoking status as predictors revealed a significant influence of gestational age (p < 0.0001) but not maternal smoking status (p = 0.8) on fetal lung-liver signal intensity ratios.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fetuses of mothers who reported smoking during pregnancy show similar lung signals and lung signal progression over gestation on magnetic resonance imaging as nonsmoking controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Feto-maternal Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. maximilian.schmid@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marschalek
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Springer
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kasprian
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prayer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity / Q000502:physiology; D005333:Fetus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000502:physiology; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000502:physiology; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult