title: Maternal smoking during pregnancy and fetal organ growth: a magnetic resonance imaging study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study whether maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with alterations in the growth of fetal lungs, kidneys, liver, brain, and placenta.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case-control study, with operators performing the image analysis blinded.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study performed on a research-dedicated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner (1.5 T) with participants recruited from a large teaching hospital in the United Kingdom.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 26 pregnant women (13 current smokers, 13 non smokers) were recruited; 18 women (10 current smokers, 8 nonsmokers) returned for the second scan later in their pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Each fetus was scanned with MRI at 22-27 weeks and 33-38 weeks gestational age (GA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Images obtained with MRI were used to measure volumes of the fetal brain, kidneys, lungs, liver and overall fetal size, as well as placental volumes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exposed fetuses showed lower brain volumes, kidney volumes, and total fetal volumes, with this effect being greater at visit 2 than at visit 1 for brain and kidney volumes, and greater at visit 1 than at visit 2 for total fetal volume. Exposed fetuses also demonstrated lower lung volume and placental volume, and this effect was similar at both visits. No difference was found between the exposed and nonexposed fetuses with regards to liver volume.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Magnetic resonance imaging has been used to show that maternal smoking is associated with reduced growth of fetal brain, lung and kidney; this effect persists even when the volumes are corrected for maternal education, gestational age, and fetal sex. As expected, the fetuses exposed to maternal smoking are smaller in size. Similarly, placental volumes are smaller in smoking versus nonsmoking pregnant women.
authors.affiliation: Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Devasuda
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anblagan
authors.forename: Nia W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costigan
authors.forename: Alexander J J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Kirsty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Allcock
authors.forename: Rosanne
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aleong
authors.forename: Lucy H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Coyne
authors.forename: Ruta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Deshpande
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Raine-Fenning
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bugg
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Zdenka
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pausova
authors.forename: Tomáš
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Paus
authors.forename: Penny A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gowland
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009929:Organ Size; D011247:Pregnancy; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D055815:Young Adult