title: Human developmental anatomy: microscopic magnetic resonance imaging (μMRI) of four human embryos (from Carnegie Stage 10 to 20).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Technological advances in the field of biological imaging now allow multi-modal studies of human embryo anatomy. The aim of this study was to assess the high magnetic field μMRI feasibility in the study of small human embryos (less than 21mm crown-rump) as a new tool for the study of human descriptive embryology and to determine better sequence characteristics to obtain higher spatial resolution and higher signal/noise ratio.
  
  
  METHODS
  Morphological study of four human embryos belonging to the historical collection of the Department of Anatomy in the Faculty of Medicine of Reims was undertaken by μMRI. These embryos had, successively, crown-rump lengths of 3mm (Carnegie Stage, CS 10), 12mm (CS 16), 17mm (CS 18) and 21mm (CS 20). Acquisition of images was performed using a vertical nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, a Bruker Avance III, 500MHz, 11.7T equipped for imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All images were acquired using 2D (transverse, sagittal and coronal) and 3D sequences, either T1-weighted or T2-weighted. Spatial resolution between 24 and 70μm/pixel allowed clear visualization of all anatomical structures of the embryos.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study of human embryos μMRI has already been reported in the literature and a few atlases exist for educational purposes. However, to our knowledge, descriptive or morphological studies of human developmental anatomy based on data collected these few μMRI studies of human embryos are rare. This morphological noninvasive imaging method coupled with other techniques already reported seems to offer new perspectives to descriptive studies of human embryology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculté de Médecine de Reims, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France. Electronic address: martin.lhuaire@etudiant.univ-reims.fr.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lhuaire
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Chemistry of Reims (ICMR), UMR CNRS 7312, UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France.
authors.forename: Agathe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Tissular Imaging, Cell-Microenvironment Interactions (ICME) IFR 53, SFR Cap Santé, Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie de Reims, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France.
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Chemistry of Reims (ICMR), UMR CNRS 7312, UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nuzillard
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculté de Médecine de Reims, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France.
authors.forename: Yohann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Renard
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculté de Médecine de Nancy, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy Brabois, Université de Lorraine, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France; Imagerie Adaptative Diagnostique et Interventionnelle (IADI), INSERM U947, CHU de Nancy Brabois, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tonnelet
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculté de Médecine de Nancy, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy Brabois, Université de Lorraine, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France; Imagerie Adaptative Diagnostique et Interventionnelle (IADI), INSERM U947, CHU de Nancy Brabois, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculté de Médecine de Reims, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Avisse
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculté de Médecine de Reims, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France; Imagerie Adaptative Diagnostique et Interventionnelle (IADI), INSERM U947, CHU de Nancy Brabois, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Labrousse
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology*; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
keywords: Developmental anatomy; Human descriptive embryology; Human embryo; Magnetic resonance histology; Magnetic resonance microscopy; Micro-MRI