MRI provides insights into fetal brain
Technological advancements have made it possible to produce detailed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of a fetus in the womb, a fact that is making MRI an increasingly important clinical tool for diagnosing fetal abnormalities and understanding normal fetal development, UCSF physicians say.
“We often get patients referred to us when there is an abnormality detected on routine, prenatal ultrasound (such as mild ventriculomegaly),” says UCSF researcher Orit Glenn, M.D. “Referrals also come when the ultrasound is normal, but there is a family history of a neurological disorder or pregnancy complications such as monochorionic twinning.”
MRI provides much higher-resolution images than ultrasound, and so can detect much more subtle defects. “We look for additional abnormalities and try to use the additional information we get from MRI to make a specific diagnosis, which often influences prenatal counseling and genetic testing, as well as counseling for recurrence risk in future pregnancies,” Glenn says.
Click here to read the complete UCFS press release.