Prenatal MRI quantitative evaluation on two-dimensional diameter of fetal brain in congenital heart diseases
10.13929/j.issn.1003-3289.2020.08.004
- Author:
Jingya REN
1
Author Information
1. Department of Radiology, Shanghai Childern's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Brain;
Fetus;
Heart defects, congenital;
Magnetic resonance imaging
- From:
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology
2020;36(8):1135-1139
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective: To explore the value of prenatal MRI in quantification of two-dimensional diameter of fetal brain. Methods: A total of 150 pregnant women (150 fetuses) with gestational age (GA) 21 -39 weeks were collected for prenatal MRI. Fifty fetuses were found with congenital heart diseases (CHD group),the mean GA was (28.05±4.50)weeks, <28 weeks in 27 fetuses and ≥28 weeks in 23 fetuses. One hundred fetuses were found with normal brain development (control group), with the mean GA of (27.85±4.40)weeks, 48 fetuses <28 weeks and 52 fetuses ≥28 weeks. Single-shot turbo spin echo (SSTSE) sequence MR scanning was performed to examine and measure the brain biparietal diameter (BBD), brain fronto-occipital length (BFOL), skull biparietal diameter (SBD), skull fronto-occipitoal diameter (SOD) and head circumference (HC), while parallel balanced fast field echo (B-FFE) sequence scanning was performed to reveal fetal cardiovascular structures. Correlation of the major two-dimensional diameter lines of fetal brain and GA was analyzed, and the fitting line was obtained. The related indexes of fetuses were compared between 2 groups. Results: BBD, BFOL, SBD, SOD, HC of the fetus in both groups were highly linear with GA (CHD group: r=0.96, 0.89, 0.94, 0.90, 0.93, all P<0.01; control group: r=0.97, 0.96, 0.94, 0.95, 0.95, all P<0.01). For fetuses with GA <28 weeks, no statistically significant difference of diameter indexes was found between groups (all P>0.05), whereas for fetuses with GA ≥28 weeks, BBD, BFOL, SOD and HC in CHD group were all smaller than those in control group (all P<0.05). No statistically significant difference of SBD was found between groups (P=0.10). Conclusion: MRI quantitative evaluation of fetal brain biological indicators could provide new references for intrauterine observation on fetal brain growth and development. CHD could affect fetal brain development in utero, and BBD, BFOL, SOD and HC of fetus in mid- and late-pregnancy reduced relatively.
