Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used as a clarifying technique after a high-resolution ultrasound examination during pregnancy. Combining ultrasound with MRI, additional diagnostic information is obtained or ultrasound diagnosis is frequently corrected. High spatial resolution provides accurate radiological imaging of internal organs and widens possibilities for detecting perinatal development disorders. The safety of MRI and the use of intravenous contrast agent gadolinium are discussed in this article. There is no currently available evidence that MRI is harmful to the fetus, although not enough research has been carried out to prove enduring safety. MRI should be performed when the benefit outweighs the potential side effects. The narrative review includes several clinical cases of fetal MRI performed in Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics.
Highlights
Ultrasound remains a major and preferred radiological study during pregnancy, due to its wide availability, low cost and safety, the benefits and possibilities of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are rapidly developing
The adoption of ultrafast MRI sequences has led to an extreme improvement of fetal MRI by diminishing artifacts caused by an excessive fetal motion and the necessity to use sedation during this examination
Turbo spin echo is a standard sequence for fetal MRI examination using single time repetition (TR single shot) known as single-shot fast spin echo (SSFSE)
Summary
Ultrasound remains a major and preferred radiological study during pregnancy, due to its wide availability, low cost and safety, the benefits and possibilities of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are rapidly developing. A high-resolution ultrasound examination is usually followed by magnetic resonance imaging to clarify the results. MRI can be performed at any time during pregnancy, it is usually performed at 20 weeks pregnant and onwards, when the fetal organs are already of sufficient size to be visualised. After MRI is performed, the fetus anatomy is evaluated in detail During this procedure, the examiner evaluates the volume of amniotic fluid, the placenta’s position, its size and signal intensity in the uterus, Medicina 2019, 55, 55; doi:10.3390/medicina55020055 www.mdpi.com/journal/medicina. In this paper we discuss the two cases of magnetic resonance examination performed for fetal brain and abdomen malformations
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