title: Visualizing cerebral veins in fetal brain using susceptibility-weighted MRI.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the feasibility of two-dimensional (2D) susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in the visualization of cerebral veins in the foetal brain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two pregnant healthy women (gestational age: 19-37 weeks, mean: 28.5 ± 7.1 weeks) underwent SWI examination using a 1.5 T MRI system. Two neurologists independently analysed all magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. The relationship between the veins detected and the gestational age was investigated. The prominence of veins was assessed using a categorical score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 167 veins were detected by SWI in 29 subjects with a symmetric hemisphere distribution (p > 0.05). An additional vein was detected by SWI biweekly from 24 weeks of gestation. Most veins of Galen and internal cerebral veins on SWI images were prominent, whereas others were faint or moderate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SWI appears to be a feasible method of detecting cerebral veins in the foetal brain.
authors: Philips Healthcare, People's Republic of China.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Dai
authors: Shanghai Children's Medical Center Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, People's Republic of China.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Dong
authors: Shanghai Children's Medical Center Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: zhuming1946@sina.com.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Zhu
authors: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, People's Republic of China.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Wu
authors: Shanghai Children's Medical Center Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, People's Republic of China.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology*; D002550:Cerebral Veins / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011247:Pregnancy; D055815:Young Adult