An exploration of the potential utility of fetal cardiovascular MRI as an adjunct to fetal echocardiography
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Fetal cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a potential alternative to echocardiography, although in practice, its use has been limited. We sought to explore the need for additional imaging in a tertiary fetal cardiology unit and the usefulness of standard MRI sequences. METHODS: Cases where the diagnosis was not fully resolved using echocardiography were referred for MRI. Following a three-plane localiser, fetal movement was assessed with a balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) cine. Single-shot fast spin echo and bSSFP sequences were used for diagnostic imaging. RESULTS: Twenty-two fetal cardiac MRIs were performed over 12 months, at mean gestation of 32 weeks (26-38 weeks). The majority of referrals were for suspected vascular abnormalities (17/22), particularly involving the aortic arch (n = 10) and pulmonary vessels (n = 4). Single-shot fast spin echo sequences produced 'black-blood' images, useful for examining the extracardiac vasculature in these cases. BSSFP sequences were more useful for intracardiac structures. Real-time SSFP allowed for dynamic assessment of structures such as cardiac masses, with enhancement patterns also allowing for tissue characterisation in these cases. CONCLUSIONS: Fetal vascular abnormalities such as coarctation can be difficult to diagnose by using ultrasound. Fetal MRI may have an adjunctive role in the evaluation of the extracardiac vascular anatomy and tissue characterisation. © 2016 The Authors. Prenatal Diagnosis published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Date Issued
2016-08-31
Date Acceptance
2016-08-09
Citation
Prenatal Diagnosis, 2016, 36 (10), pp.916-925
ISSN
1097-0223
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
916
End Page
925
Journal / Book Title
Prenatal Diagnosis
Volume
36
Issue
10
Copyright Statement
© 2016 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Subjects
Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine
1103 Clinical Sciences
1114 Paediatrics And Reproductive Medicine
Publication Status
Published