title: Diffusion-weighted MR imaging of fetal lung maturation in sheep: effect of prenatal cortisone administration on ADC values.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess changes in diffusion properties in the fetal lung after cortisone administration with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in fetal sheep.
  
  
  METHODS
  DWI was performed on 11 pregnant sheep with singleton pregnancies on a 1.5-T MRI scanner. Four animals received cortisone injections before baseline imaging. Seven animals served as controls. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was measured on DWI in the fetal lungs by two independent readers. The Pearson test was used to correlate ADC and gestational age. A t-test was performed to compare differences in ADC values at the baseline and follow-up images within and between groups. Inter-rater reliability was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the cortisone group, ADC values increased about 10 % between the baseline and follow-up images (P = 0.039). Comparing the cortisone and control groups, ADC values of the baseline images did not differ; whereas in the follow-up imaging, ADC values were significantly higher in the cortisone group (P = 0.024). Lung ADC values did not correlate with gestational age (P = 0.970). Inter-rater reliability was high (0.970, P = 0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this experimental model, MR-DWI can detect cortisone-induced changes in diffusion properties of the fetal lung.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • Corticosteroids are frequently administered antenatally to prevent fetal lung immaturity at birth • DWI can detect changes in the fetal lung after corticosteroid administration • Changes can be detected as early as 5 days after treatment • Fetal MRI may offer a non-invasive method of monitoring lung maturation.
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, Centre for Radiology and Endoscopy, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. cmuch@uke.de
authors: Chressen Catharina
authors: CC
authors: Much
authors: Björn Phillip
authors: BP
authors: Schoennagel
authors: Jin
authors: J
authors: Yamamura
authors: Ralph
authors: R
authors: Buchert
authors: Hendrik
authors: H
authors: Kooijman
authors: Anne-Kathrin
authors: AK
authors: Schätzle
authors: Gerhard
authors: G
authors: Adam
authors: Ulrike
authors: U
authors: Wedegaertner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003348:Cortisone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004058:Diffusion; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011247:Pregnancy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012756:Sheep; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003348:Cortisone