Fetal magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Prenatal assessment consists of gathering and analyzing genetic, anatomical, biochemical, and physiological information about the fetus to detect any anomalies that might have repercussions during the fetal period or after birth. The main purpose of prenatal diagnosis is to be able to provide families with information about foreseeable anomalies, genetic counseling, and/or therapeutic alternatives for any anomalies detected. This is a multidisciplinary task involving obstetricians, geneticists, pediatricians, radiologists, and psychologists. Prenatal diagnosis has improved considerably in recent years, thanks to technical and technological advances in chromosomal diagnosis of fetal cells, biochemistry, echography, and molecular genetics. Advances in diagnostic imaging techniques have brought about improvements in image quality and increased sensitivity and specificity, making the detection of anatomical anomalies one aspect of prenatal diagnosis that has come to play a fundamental role. Ultrasound (US) is the standard method in routine screening for fetal anomalies; however, this technique has its limitations, even in expert hands. The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in pregnant patients was first described in 19831, but its use in fetal studies was, until very recently, very limited due to the degradation in image quality caused by fetal movements. The advent of fast MRI sequences has enabled images to be obtained in a matter of seconds, thus eliminating the problem of motion artifacts2–6. MRI is fast becoming a non-invasive complementary technique to US in the detection of fetal anomalies.