Advanced MR Imaging Technologies in Fetuses

Image

Since 1990s when the T2-weighted ultrafast sequences were developed, fetal MRI on clinical scanners has increasingly been realized as a powerful imaging tool and applied for studying the brain abnormalities and the potential of neurodevelopmental disabilities in vivo. Performing fetal MRI can provide additional information for diagnosed or suspected pathologies that are not apparent on ultrasound . The limitations and challenges of current fetal MRI include RF safety caused mainly by RF deposition (Specific Absorption Rate, SAR), limited sensitivity, fetal motion and the small size of fetal brain structure. Due to the nature of slow acquisition in the conventional MR imaging, motion artifacts have been one of the major issues in MRI, particularly when imaging normally mobile fetuses. Over the years, tremendous research efforts have been made to lessen motion effects in conventional slow MR imaging acquisition. In fetal imaging, because of the small structure, especially in the brain, the optimal resolution required to establish a diagnosis is usually lower than 1 mm generally.