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Zheng W, Yan G, Jiang Y, Bao Z, Li K, Deng M, Li B, Zou Y. Diffusion-Weighted MRI of the Fetal Brain in Fetal Growth Restriction With Maternal Preeclampsia or Gestational Hypertension. J Magn Reson Imaging 2024; 59:1384-1393. [PMID: 37315155 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.28861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The fetal neurodevelopmental microstructural alterations of intrauterine exposure to preeclampsia (PE) or gestational hypertension (GH) remain unknown. PURPOSE To evaluate the differences in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the fetal brain between normotensive pregnancies and PE/GH pregnancies, with a focus on PE/GH pregnancies with fetal growth restriction (FGR). STUDY TYPE Retrospective matched case-control study. POPULATION 40 singleton pregnancies with PE/GH complicated by FGR, and 3 paired control groups (PE/GH without FGR, normotensive FGR, normotensive pregnancies) (28-38 gestational weeks). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE DWI with single-shot echo-planar imaging at 1.5 Tesla. ASSESSMENT The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were calculated in the centrum semi-ovale (CSO), parietal white matter (PWM), frontal white matter (FWM), occipital white matter (OWM), temporal white matter (TWM), basal ganglia, thalamus (THAL), pons, and cerebellar hemisphere. STATISTICAL TESTS Student t test or Wilcoxon matched test was used to reveal the difference of ADC values among the investigated brain regions. A correlation between gestational age (GA) and ADC values was determined by linear regression analysis. RESULTS Compared with fetuses in PE/GH without FGR and those with normotensive pregnancies, fetuses in the PE/GH with FGR group had significantly lower average ADC measurements of supratentorial regions (1.65 ± 0.09 vs. 1.71 ± 0.10 10-3 mm2 /sec; vs. 1.73 ± 0.11 10-3 mm2 /sec, respectively). Regions of significantly decreased ADC values in the fetal brain included CSO, FWM, PWM, OWM, TWM and THAL in cases of PE/GH with FGR. ADC values from supratentorial regions in PE/GH pregnancies were not significantly correlated with GA (P = 0.12, 0.26); however, this trend was statistically significant in the normotensive groups. DATA CONCLUSION ADC values may indicate fetal brain developmental alterations in PE/GH with FGR fetuses but more microscopic and morphological studies are necessary to provide additional evidence to offer a different interpretation of this trend in fetal brain. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weizeng Zheng
- Department of Radiology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guohui Yan
- Department of Radiology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ying Jiang
- Department of Obstetrics, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhongkun Bao
- Department of Radiology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kui Li
- Department of Radiology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meixiang Deng
- Department of Radiology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Baohua Li
- Department of Obstetrics, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu Zou
- Department of Radiology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Ren JY, Zhu M, Dong SZ. Sex differences in normal fetal regional brain apparent diffusion coefficient changes assessed by in utero DWI. Front Pediatr 2024; 12:1354475. [PMID: 38567183 PMCID: PMC10985338 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2024.1354475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective There are differences in the vulnerability of male and female fetal brains to adverse intrauterine exposure, preterm birth, and associated perinatal brain injury. The main objective of this study was to identify any statistically significant difference in the change of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the intracranial regions of male and female fetuses in the second and third trimesters. Methods Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was performed in 200 fetuses between 20 and 37 gestational ages (GA) with normal results or suspicious results on sonography followed by structural MRI. Pairwise ADC values of the regions of interest (ROIs) were manually delineated on either side of the cerebral white matter: frontal white matter (FWM), parietal white matter (PWM), occipital white matter (OWM), temporal white matter (TWM), basal ganglia (BG), thalamus (THA), cerebellar hemisphere (CBM), and a single measurement in the pons. The changes in these values were studied over the gestational range, along with potential sex differences and asymmetries of the cerebral hemispheres. Results During the third trimester, ADC values in OWM, TWM, and CBM were significantly higher in male fetuses than those in female fetuses (p < 0.05). After the correction of false-discovery rates (FDR), the difference in CBM was the only statistically significant (p = 0.0032). However, the decreased rate of ADC values in male fetuses in CWM (except for FWM), BG, THA, CBM, and pons was higher than that in female fetuses during the second and third trimesters. Conclusions We have shown some differences in the intracranial regional ADC changes between male and female fetuses using in utero DWI during the second and third trimesters.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Su-Zhen Dong
- Department of Radiology, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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Bültmann E, Zapf A, Mussgnug HJ, Kanzelmeyer N, Hartmann H. Cerebral microstructural changes in children suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome. Eur J Pediatr 2023; 182:4663-4672. [PMID: 37558834 PMCID: PMC10587265 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-023-05130-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
To evaluate microstructural cerebral changes in children suffering from typical hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) based on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. For 12 pediatric HUS patients (0.8 - 14.6 years of age) conventional magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) at 1.5 T was retrospectively analyzed. ADC values were measured in 35 different brain regions and compared with age-related, previously published ADC reference values from a healthy pediatric control group. The HUS cohort was divided into 2 subgroups depending on clinical outcome. Subgroup A showed poor neurological outcome whereas subgroup B demonstrated improvement without lasting neurological deficits. Qualitative analysis revealed lesions by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with hypointense correlate on the ADC map in basal ganglia and/or thalami and corresponding T2 hyperintensities in the majority of patients in Subgroup A (80%). Those in Subgroup B did not show qualitative DWI alterations with ADC correlate even when T2 hyperintense lesions were detected in basal ganglia and/or thalami. Quantitative analysis demonstrated abnormal ADC values in all HUS patients with a trend to a greater number of affected regions in Subgroup A compared to Subgroup B (16 versus 11 median number of regions respectively, p = 0.56). Conclusion: Using DWI qualitative and quantitative differences were found between HUS patients showing poor neurological outcome and those without neurological deficits at discharge. While ADC values indicated more extensive cerebral changes than conventional qualitative findings, both may provide early prognostic indicators for neurological outcome in pediatric HUS patients. What is Known: • In patients with STEC-HUS and neurological symptoms, MRI may show hyperintense signals on T2 and altered diffusivity mostly affecting basal ganglia, thalami and periventricular white matter. What is New: • In such patients, early MRI including quantitative ADC measurements over different brain regions may allow for detection of signal alterations possibly reflecting microstructural changes in such patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bültmann
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, D-30625, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Antonia Zapf
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hans Joachim Mussgnug
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, D-30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Nele Kanzelmeyer
- Clinic for Pediatric Kidney, Liver, and Metabolic Diseases, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Hans Hartmann
- Clinic for Pediatric Kidney, Liver, and Metabolic Diseases, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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Corroenne R, Grevent D, Mahallati H, Gauchard G, Bussieres L, Ville Y, Salomon LJ. Diffusion tensor imaging of fetal spinal cord: feasibility and gestational-age-related changes. ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2023; 62:241-247. [PMID: 36971038 DOI: 10.1002/uog.26208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the fetal brain is a relatively new technique that allows evaluation of white matter tracts of the central nervous system throughout pregnancy, as well as in certain pathological conditions. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of DTI of the spinal cord in utero and to examine gestational-age (GA)-related changes in DTI parameters during pregnancy. METHODS This was a prospective study conducted between December 2021 and June 2022 in the LUMIERE Platform, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, Paris, France, as part of the LUMIERE SUR LE FETUS trial. Women with a pregnancy between 18 and 36 weeks of gestation without fetal or maternal abnormality were eligible for inclusion. Sagittal diffusion-weighted scans of the fetal spine were acquired, without sedation, using a 1.5-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The imaging parameters were as follows: 15 non-collinear direction diffusion-weighted magnetic-pulsed gradients with a b-value 700 s/mm2 and one B0 image without diffusion-weighting; slice thickness, 3 mm; field of view (FOV), 36 mm; phase FOV, 1.00; voxel size, 4.5 × 2.8 × 3 mm3 ; number of slices, 7-10; repetition time, 2800 ms; echo time, minimum; and total acquisition time, 2.3 min. DTI parameters, including fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), were extracted at the cervical, upper thoracic, lower thoracic and lumbar levels of the spinal cord. Cases with motion degradation and those with aberrant reconstruction of the spinal cord on tractography were excluded. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to evaluate GA-related changes of DTI parameters during pregnancy. RESULTS During the study period, 42 pregnant women were included at a median GA of 29.3 (range, 22.0-35.7) weeks. Five (11.9%) patients were not included in the analysis because of fetal movement. Two (4.8%) patients with aberrant tractography reconstruction were also excluded from analysis. Acquisition of DTI parameters was feasible in all remaining cases (35/35). Increasing GA correlated with increasing FA averaged over the entire fetal spinal cord (r, 0.37; P < 0.01), as well as at the individual cervical (r, 0.519; P < 0.01), upper thoracic (r, 0.468; P < 0.01), lower thoracic (r, 0.425; P = 0.02) and lumbar (r, 0.427; P = 0.02) levels. There was no correlation between GA and ADC averaged over the entire spinal cord (r, 0.01; P = 0.99) or at the individual cervical (r, -0.109; P = 0.56), upper thoracic (r, -0.226; P = 0.22), lower thoracic (r, -0.052; P = 0.78) or lumbar (r, -0.11; P = 0.95) levels. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that DTI of the spinal cord is feasible in normal fetuses in typical clinical practice and allows extraction of DTI parameters of the spinal cord. There is a significant GA-related change in FA in the fetal spinal cord during pregnancy, which may result from decreasing water content as observed during myelination of fiber tracts occurring in utero. This study may serve as a basis for further investigation of DTI in the fetus, including research into its potential in pathological conditions that impact spinal cord development. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Corroenne
- EA Fetus 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
- Department of Obstetrics, Fetal Medicine and Surgery, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - D Grevent
- EA Fetus 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
- Department of Radiology, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - H Mahallati
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - G Gauchard
- EA Fetus 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - L Bussieres
- EA Fetus 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
- Department of Obstetrics, Fetal Medicine and Surgery, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Y Ville
- EA Fetus 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
- Department of Obstetrics, Fetal Medicine and Surgery, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - L J Salomon
- EA Fetus 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
- Department of Obstetrics, Fetal Medicine and Surgery, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
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Kobal L, Surlan Popovic K, Avsenik J, Vipotnik Vesnaver T. ADC values as a biomarker of fetal brain maturation. Radiol Oncol 2023; 57:178-183. [PMID: 37341193 DOI: 10.2478/raon-2023-0022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the period of fetal development, myelination plays a key role and follows specific time and spatial sequences. The water content in the brain is inversely proportional to myelination - the more myelinated the brain, the lower the water content in it. The diffusion of water molecules can be quantitatively assessed using the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). We were interested in whether, by determining the ADC values, we could quantitatively evaluate the development of the fetal brain. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study included 42 fetuses with gestational age 25 to 35 weeks. We manually selected 13 regions on diffusion-weighted images. Statistically significant differences between ADC values were checked using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test. The relationship between the ADC values and the gestational age of the fetuses was then assessed using linear regression. RESULTS The average gestational age of the fetuses was 29.8 ± 2.4 weeks. ADC values in the thalami, pons and cerebellum differed significantly among each other and from the ADC values in other brain regions. In the thalami, pons and cerebellum, linear regression showed a significant decrease in ADC values with increasing gestational age. CONCLUSIONS ADC values change with the increasing gestational age of the fetus and differ among different brain regions. In the pons, cerebellum and thalami, the ADC coefficient could be used as a biomarker of fetal brain maturation since ADC values decrease linearly with increasing gestational age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucija Kobal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Jernej Avsenik
- Clinical Institute of Radiology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tina Vipotnik Vesnaver
- Clinical Institute of Radiology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Song JG, Sun C, Zhu M, Zhu JX, Zhang N, Wang GB, Zhao B. Regional changes in brain apparent diffusion coefficient in fetuses with complex congenital heart disease and normal pregnancy assessed using diffusion-weighted imaging. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1136633. [PMID: 37351264 PMCID: PMC10283352 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1136633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives To explore changes in brain apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in normal fetuses and fetuses with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) during the second and early third trimesters. Methods This single-center prospective study was conducted from May 2019 through October 2021. We measured and compared the mean ADC values between 23 fetuses with CHD and 27 gestational age (GA)-matched controls using covariance analyses. ADC density plots and histograms were used to compare brain characteristics. False-discovery rates (FDR, α = 0.05) correction was used for multiple testing. Results The mean ADC in the frontal white matter, temporal white matter, parietal white matter, occipital white matter, cerebellar hemisphere, central area of the centrum semiovale, basal ganglia region, thalamus, and pons were not significantly different (all p > 0.05). Based on histogram analysis, there were no significant differences between the controls and fetuses with CHD after FDR correction. However, the ADC density plots showed significant heterogeneity between the controls and fetuses with CHD. Conclusion The mean ADC values and ADC histogram analysis did not differ between the CHD and normal groups. The ADC density plots may provide supplementary information and improve the sensitivity for detecting early brain changes in fetuses with CHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Guang Song
- Department of Ultrasound, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Ultrasound, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Cong Sun
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mei Zhu
- Department of Ultrasound, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jin-Xia Zhu
- MR Collaboration, Healthcare Siemens Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- Department of Ultrasound, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Guang-Bin Wang
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
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Chen R, Sun C, Liu T, Liao Y, Wang J, Sun Y, Zhang Y, Wang G, Wu D. Deciphering the developmental order and microstructural patterns of early white matter pathways in a diffusion MRI based fetal brain atlas. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119700. [PMID: 36270621 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
White matter (WM) of the fetal brain undergoes rapid development to form early structural connections. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) has shown to be a useful tool to depict fetal brain WM in utero, and many studies have observed increasing fractional anisotropy and decreasing diffusivity in the fetal brain during the second-to-third trimester, whereas others reported non-monotonic changes. Unbiased dMRI atlases of the fetal brain are important for characterizing the developmental trajectories of WM and providing normative references for in utero diagnosis of prenatal abnormalities. To date, the sole fetal brain dMRI atlas was collected from a Caucasian/mixed population and was constructed based on the diffusion tensor model with limited spatial resolution. In this work, we proposed a fiber orientation distribution (FOD) based pipeline for generating fetal brain dMRI atlases, which showed better registration accuracy than a diffusion tensor based pipeline. Based on the FOD-based pipeline, we constructed the first Chinese fetal brain dMRI atlas using 89 dMRI scans of normal fetuses at gestational age between 24 and 38 weeks. Complex non-monotonic trends of tensor- and FOD-derived microstructural parameters in eight WM tracts were observed, which jointly pointed to different phases of microstructural development. Specifically, we speculated that the turning point of the diffusivity trajectory may correspond to the starting point of pre-myelination, based on which, the developmental order of WM tracts can be mapped and the order was in agreement with the order of myelination from histological studies. The normative atlas also provided a reference for the detection of abnormal WM development, such as that in congenital heart disease. Therefore, the established high-order fetal brain dMRI atlas depicted the spatiotemporal pattern of early WM development, and findings may help decipher the distinct microstructural events in utero.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruike Chen
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Cong Sun
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Tingting Liu
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuhao Liao
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Yi Sun
- MR Collaboration, Siemens Healthineers Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guangbin Wang
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China; Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
| | - Dan Wu
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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Corroenne R, Arthuis C, Kasprian G, Mahallati H, Ville Y, Millischer Bellaiche AE, Henry C, Grevent D, Salomon LJ. Diffusion tensor imaging of fetal brain: principles, potential and limitations of promising technique. ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2022; 60:470-476. [PMID: 35561129 DOI: 10.1002/uog.24935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Human brain development is a complex process that begins in the third week of gestation. During early development, the fetal brain undergoes dynamic morphological changes. These changes result from events such as neurogenesis, neuronal migration, synapse formation, axonal growth and myelination. Disruption of any of these processes is thought to be responsible for a wide array of different pathologies. Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging, especially diffusion-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), have enabled characterization and evaluation of brain development in utero. In this review, aimed at practitioners involved in fetal medicine and high-risk pregnancies, we provide a comprehensive overview of fetal DTI studies focusing on characterization of early normal brain development as well as evaluation of brain pathology in utero. We also discuss the reliability and limitations of fetal brain DTI. © 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Corroenne
- Department of Obstetrics, Fetal Medicine and Surgery, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, APHP, Paris, France
- EA FETUS 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - C Arthuis
- EA FETUS 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
- Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital of Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - G Kasprian
- Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - H Mahallati
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Y Ville
- Department of Obstetrics, Fetal Medicine and Surgery, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, APHP, Paris, France
| | | | - C Henry
- EA FETUS 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - D Grevent
- EA FETUS 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
- Department of Radiology, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, APHP, Paris, France
| | - L J Salomon
- Department of Obstetrics, Fetal Medicine and Surgery, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, APHP, Paris, France
- EA FETUS 7328 and LUMIERE Platform, University of Paris, Paris, France
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Guimaraes CVA, Dahmoush HM. Fetal Brain Anatomy. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2022; 32:663-681. [PMID: 35843668 DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2022.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
"Fetal brain development has been well studied, allowing for an ample knowledge of the normal changes that occur during gestation. Imaging modalities used to evaluate the fetal central nervous system (CNS) include ultrasound and MRI. MRI is the most accurate imaging modality for parenchymal evaluation and depiction of developmental CNS anomalies. The depiction of CNS abnormalities in a fetus can only be accurately made when there is an understanding of its normal development. This article reviews the expected normal fetal brain anatomy and development during gestation. Additional anatomic structures seen on brain imaging sequences are also reviewed."
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina V A Guimaraes
- Division Chief of Pediatric Radiology, Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, 2006 Old Clinic Building, CB# 7510, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7510, USA.
| | - Hisham M Dahmoush
- Department of Radiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94304, USA
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Segev M, Djurabayev B, Katorza E, Yaniv G, Hoffmann C, Shrot S. 3.0 Tesla normative diffusivity in 3rd trimester fetal brain. Neuroradiology 2021; 64:1249-1254. [PMID: 34820712 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-021-02863-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in the developing fetus provide valuable information on the diagnosis and prognosis of prenatal brain pathologies. Normative ADC data has been previously established in 1.5 T MR scanners but lacking in 3.0 T scanners. Our objective was to measure ADC values in various brain areas in a cohort of normal singleton fetuses scanned in a 3.0 T MR scanner. METHODS DWI (diffusion-weighted imaging) was performed in 47 singleton fetuses with normal or questionably abnormal results on sonography followed by normal structural MR imaging. ADC values were measured in cerebral lobes (frontal, parietal, temporal lobes), basal ganglia, and pons. Regression analysis was used to examine gestational age-related changes in regional ADC. RESULTS Median gestational age was 30.1 weeks (range, 26-34 weeks). There was a significant effect of region on ADC values, whereby ADC values were highest in cerebral lobes (parietal > frontal > temporal lobes), compared with basal ganglia. The lowest values were found in the pons. On regression analysis, there was a decrease in ADC values in basal ganglia and pons with increasing gestational age. ADC values in frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes were stable in our cohort. CONCLUSION Regional brain ADC values in 3.0 T scanners are comparable with previously reported values in 1.5 T scanners, with similar changes over gestational age. Using 3.0 T scanners is increasing worldwide. For fetal imaging, establishing normal ADC values is critical as DWI enables a sensitive and quantitative technique to evaluate normal and abnormal brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Segev
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, 2 Sheba Rd, Ramat-Gan 52621, Israel. .,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
| | - Bella Djurabayev
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, 2 Sheba Rd, Ramat-Gan 52621, Israel
| | - Eldad Katorza
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,Antenatal Diagnostic Unit, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Gal Yaniv
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, 2 Sheba Rd, Ramat-Gan 52621, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Chen Hoffmann
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, 2 Sheba Rd, Ramat-Gan 52621, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Shai Shrot
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, 2 Sheba Rd, Ramat-Gan 52621, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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11
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Ren JY, Ji H, Zhu M, Dong SZ. DWI in Brains of Fetuses with Congenital Heart Disease: A Case-Control MR Imaging Study. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2021; 42:2040-2045. [PMID: 34475195 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a7267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Abnormal ADC values are seen in ischemic brain lesions such as acute or chronic hypoxia. We aimed to assess whether ADC values in the developing brain measured by in utero DWI were different in fetuses with congenital heart disease compared with healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS In utero DWI was performed in 50 fetuses with congenital heart disease and 100 healthy controls at a similar gestational age. Pair-wise ADC values of the ROIs were manually delineated on each side of the frontal and periatrial WM and in the basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellar hemisphere, as well as a single measurement in the pons. RESULTS Fetuses with congenital heart disease had significantly lower ADC values in frontal and periatrial WM and the pons than controls (all P < .05) in the early stages of pregnancy. However, ADC values in the thalamus were higher for fetuses with congenital heart disease than for controls (gestational age, ≥26 weeks). For ADC values in the cerebellar hemisphere, there was no obvious significance between cases and controls (P = .07) in the late stages of pregnancy. Basal ganglia ADC values were consistently not significantly different between the 2 groups during the early and late stages of pregnancy (P = .47; .21). CONCLUSIONS Abnormal brain diffusivity can be detected using in utero DWI in fetuses with congenital heart disease. Abnormal ADC values found at a mean gestational age of 26 weeks suggest structural changes, which may provide an early indicator of the impact of congenital heart disease on the developing brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- J-Y Ren
- From the Department of Radiology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - H Ji
- From the Department of Radiology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - M Zhu
- From the Department of Radiology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - S-Z Dong
- From the Department of Radiology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, P.R. China
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12
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Brain fetal magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate maturation of normal white matter during the third trimester of pregnancy. Pediatr Radiol 2021; 51:1826-1838. [PMID: 34019102 DOI: 10.1007/s00247-021-05064-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could improve the estimation of fetal brain maturation and the interpretation of white matter signal intensity in pathological conditions. OBJECTIVE To investigate T2-based and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) measurements for the evaluation of fetal brain maturation during the last trimester of pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred sixty-eight fetal brain MRIs were retrospectively analyzed (age range: 28-37 weeks of gestation) after ensuring that none of the children developed psychomotor or cognitive impairment (median follow-up: 4.7 years). Bilateral regions of interest were drawn on the frontal, occipital, parietal and temporal lobes from T2-W imaging and DWI, when available, to evaluate signal intensity and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. Ratios were calculated with two references (pons or thalamus and cerebrospinal fluid) to standardize signal intensities. Reproducibility was evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland-Altman plots. Correlations with gestational age were evaluated with univariate and multivariate linear regressions. RESULTS T2 measurements were achieved in all cases, and DWI was available in 37 cases. Measurements and ratios were reproducible in eight localizations (i.e. intra- and interobserver ICCs >0.5): frontal T2/thalamus, parietal T2/thalamus, occipital T2/pons, parietal ADC/thalamus, occipital ADC/pons, temporal ADC/pons, occipital ADC and temporal ADC. The frontal T2/thalamus and parietal T2/thalamus correlated with gestational age (P<0.0001 and P=0.014, respectively). In the multivariate modeling, frontal T2/thalamus remained an independent predictor of the gestational age (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION The frontal T2/thalamus ratio emerged as a potential additional biomarker of fetal brain maturation during the last trimester of pregnancy.
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13
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Markovic S, Roussel T, Neeman M, Frydman L. Deuterium Magnetic Resonance Imaging and the Discrimination of Fetoplacental Metabolism in Normal and L-NAME-Induced Preeclamptic Mice. Metabolites 2021; 11:metabo11060376. [PMID: 34200839 PMCID: PMC8230481 DOI: 10.3390/metabo11060376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent magnetic resonance studies in healthy and cancerous organs have concluded that deuterated metabolites possess highly desirable properties for mapping non-invasively and, as they happen, characterizing glycolysis and other biochemical processes in animals and humans. A promising avenue of this deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI) approach involves looking at the fate of externally administered 2H6,6′-glucose, as it is taken up and metabolized into different products as a function of time. This study employs deuterium magnetic resonance to follow the metabolism of wildtype and preeclamptic pregnant mice models, focusing on maternal and fetoplacental organs over ≈2 h post-injection. 2H6,6′-glucose uptake was observed in the placenta and in specific downstream organs such as the fetal heart and liver. Main metabolic products included 2H3,3′-lactate and 2H-water, which were produced in individual fetoplacental organs with distinct time traces. Glucose uptake in the organs of most preeclamptic animals appeared more elevated than in the control mice (p = 0.02); also higher was the production of 2H-water arising from this glucose. However, the most notable differences arose in the 2H3,3′-lactate concentration, which was ca. two-fold more abundant in the placenta (p = 0.005) and in the fetal (p = 0.01) organs of preeclamptic-like animals, than in control mice. This is consistent with literature reports about hypoxic conditions arising in preeclamptic and growth-restricted pregnancies, which could lead to an enhancement in anaerobic glycolysis. Overall, the present measurements suggest that DMI, a minimally invasive approach, may offer new ways of studying and characterizing health and disease in mammalian pregnancies, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Markovic
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel;
| | - Tangi Roussel
- Center for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine, 13385 Marseille, France;
| | - Michal Neeman
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel;
| | - Lucio Frydman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +972-8934-4093
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14
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Development of human white matter pathways in utero over the second and third trimester. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2023598118. [PMID: 33972435 PMCID: PMC8157930 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2023598118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
During the second and third trimesters of human gestation, rapid neurodevelopment is underpinned by fundamental processes including neuronal migration, cellular organization, cortical layering, and myelination. In this time, white matter growth and maturation lay the foundation for an efficient network of structural connections. Detailed knowledge about this developmental trajectory in the healthy human fetal brain is limited, in part, due to the inherent challenges of acquiring high-quality MRI data from this population. Here, we use state-of-the-art high-resolution multishell motion-corrected diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI), collected as part of the developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP), to characterize the in utero maturation of white matter microstructure in 113 fetuses aged 22 to 37 wk gestation. We define five major white matter bundles and characterize their microstructural features using both traditional diffusion tensor and multishell multitissue models. We found unique maturational trends in thalamocortical fibers compared with association tracts and identified different maturational trends within specific sections of the corpus callosum. While linear maturational increases in fractional anisotropy were seen in the splenium of the corpus callosum, complex nonlinear trends were seen in the majority of other white matter tracts, with an initial decrease in fractional anisotropy in early gestation followed by a later increase. The latter is of particular interest as it differs markedly from the trends previously described in ex utero preterm infants, suggesting that this normative fetal data can provide significant insights into the abnormalities in connectivity which underlie the neurodevelopmental impairments associated with preterm birth.
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15
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Jouannic JM, Blondiaux E, Senat MV, Friszer S, Adamsbaum C, Rousseau J, Hornoy P, Letourneau A, de Laveaucoupet J, Lecarpentier E, Rosenblatt J, Quibel T, Mollot M, Ancel PY, Alison M, Goffinet F. Prognostic value of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of brain in fetal growth restriction: results of prospective multicenter study. ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2020; 56:893-900. [PMID: 31765031 DOI: 10.1002/uog.21926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To measure prospectively apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation in different cerebral territories of fetuses with estimated fetal weight (EFW) ≤ 5th centile, and analyze their association with adverse perinatal outcome. METHODS This was a prospective study involving six tertiary-level perinatal centers. In the period 22 November 2016 to 11 September 2017, we included singleton, small-for-gestational-age (SGA) fetuses with EFW ≤ 5th percentile, between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation, regardless of the umbilical artery Doppler and maternal uterine artery Doppler findings. A fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination with diffusion-weighted sequences (DWI) was performed within 14 days following inclusion and before 32 weeks. ADC values were calculated in the frontal and occipital white matter, basal ganglia and cerebellar hemispheres. An ultrasound examination was performed within 1 week prior to the MRI examination. The primary outcome was a composite measure of adverse perinatal outcome, defined as any of the following: perinatal death; admission to neonatal intensive care unit with mechanical ventilation > 48 h; necrotizing enterocolitis; Grade III-IV intraventricular hemorrhage; periventricular leukomalacia. A univariate comparison of median ADC values in all cerebral territories between fetuses with and those without adverse perinatal outcome was performed. The association between ADC values and adverse perinatal outcome was then analyzed using multilevel logistic regression models to adjust for other common prognostic factors for growth-restricted fetuses. RESULTS MRI was performed in 64 patients, of whom five were excluded owing to fetal movement artifacts on DWI and two were excluded for termination of pregnancy with no link to fetal growth restriction (FGR). One intrauterine death occurred secondary to severe FGR. Among the 56 liveborn neonates, delivered at a mean ± SD gestational age of 33.6 ± 3.0 weeks, with a mean birth weight of 1441 ± 566 g, four neonatal deaths occurred. In addition, two neonates required prolonged mechanical ventilation, one of whom also developed necrotizing enterocolitis. Overall, therefore, seven out of 57 (12.3%) cases had an adverse perinatal outcome (95% CI, 3.8-20.8%). The ADC values in the frontal region were significantly lower in the group with adverse perinatal outcome vs those in the group with favorable outcome (mean values of both hemispheres, 1.68 vs 1.78 × 10-3 mm2 /s; P = 0.04). No significant difference in ADC values was observed between the two groups in any other cerebral territory. A cut-off value of 1.70 × 10-3 mm2 /s was associated with a sensitivity of 57% (95% CI, 18-90%), a specificity of 78% (95% CI, 63-88%), a positive predictive value of 27% (95% CI, 8-55%) and a negative predictive value of 93% (95% CI, 80-98%) for the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome. A mean frontal ADC value < 1.70 × 10-3 mm2 /s was not associated significantly with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcome, either in the univariate analysis (P = 0.07), or when adjusting for gestational age at MRI and fetal sex (odds ratio (OR), 6.06 (95% CI, 0.9-37.1), P = 0.051) or for umbilical artery Doppler (OR, 6.08 (95% CI, 0.89-41.44)). CONCLUSION This first prospective, multicenter, cohort study using DWI in the setting of SGA found lower ADC values in the frontal white-matter territory in fetuses with, compared with those without, adverse perinatal outcome. To determine the prognostic value of these changes, further standardized evaluation of the neurodevelopment of children born with growth restriction is required. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Jouannic
- Service de Médecine Foetale, Hôpital Armand Trousseau, Médecine Sorbonne Université, APHP, Paris, France
| | - E Blondiaux
- Service de Radiopédiatrie, Hôpital Armand Trousseau, Médecine Sorbonne Université, APHP, Paris, France
| | - M V Senat
- Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Hôpital Bicêtre, Université Paris Sud, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - S Friszer
- Service de Médecine Foetale, Hôpital Armand Trousseau, Médecine Sorbonne Université, APHP, Paris, France
| | - C Adamsbaum
- Service de Radiopédiatrie, Hôpital Bicêtre, Université Paris Sud, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - J Rousseau
- Obstetrical, Perinatal, and Pediatric Epidemiology Team and Biostatistics Sorbonne Paris Cité Research Center (U1153), INSERM, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - P Hornoy
- Service de Radiologie, Hôpital Cochin, APHP, Paris, France
| | - A Letourneau
- Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, Université Paris Sud, APHP, Clamart, France
| | - J de Laveaucoupet
- Service de Radiologie, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, APHP, Clamart, France
| | - E Lecarpentier
- Maternité Port Royal, Hôpital Cochin, APHP, DHU Risques et Grossesse, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - J Rosenblatt
- Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Hôpital Robert Debré, APHP, Paris, France
| | - T Quibel
- Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal, Poissy, France
| | - M Mollot
- Service de Radiologie, Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal, Poissy, France
| | - P Y Ancel
- Obstetrical, Perinatal, and Pediatric Epidemiology Team and Biostatistics Sorbonne Paris Cité Research Center (U1153), INSERM, Paris, France
| | - M Alison
- Service de Radiopédiatrie, Hôpital Robert Debré, APHP, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France
| | - F Goffinet
- Obstetrical, Perinatal, and Pediatric Epidemiology Team and Biostatistics Sorbonne Paris Cité Research Center (U1153), INSERM, Paris, France
- Maternité Port Royal, Hôpital Cochin, APHP, DHU Risques et Grossesse, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
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16
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Bao Q, Hadas R, Markovic S, Neeman M, Frydman L. Diffusion and perfusion MRI of normal, preeclamptic and growth-restricted mice models reveal clear fetoplacental differences. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16380. [PMID: 33009455 PMCID: PMC7532452 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72885-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Diffusion-weighted MRI on rodents could be valuable to evaluate pregnancy-related dysfunctions, particularly in knockout models whose biological nature is well understood. Echo Planar Imaging’s sensitivity to motions and to air/water/fat heterogeneities, complicates these studies in the challenging environs of mice abdomens. Recently developed MRI methodologies based on SPatiotemporal ENcoding (SPEN) can overcome these obstacles, and deliver diffusivity maps at ≈150 µm in-plane resolutions. The present study exploits these capabilities to compare the development in wildtype vs vascularly-altered mice. Attention focused on the various placental layers—deciduae, labyrinth, trophoblast, fetal vessels—that the diffusivity maps could resolve. Notable differences were then observed between the placental developments of wildtype vs diseased mice; these differences remained throughout the pregnancies, and were echoed by perfusion studies relying on gadolinium-based dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. Longitudinal monitoring of diffusivity in the animals throughout the pregnancies also showed differences between the development of the fetal brains in the wildtype and vascularly-altered mice, even if these disparities became progressively smaller as the pregnancies progressed. These results are analyzed on the basis of the known physiology of normal and preeclamptic pregnancies, as well as in terms of the potential that they might open for the early detection of disorders in human pregnancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingjia Bao
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ron Hadas
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Stefan Markovic
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Michal Neeman
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Lucio Frydman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel.
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17
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Apparent diffusion coefficient of different areas of brain in foetuses with intrauterine growth restriction. Pol J Radiol 2020; 85:e301-e308. [PMID: 32685065 PMCID: PMC7361370 DOI: 10.5114/pjr.2020.96950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study aimed to compare the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of different brain areas between two groups of intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) foetuses and control cases. Material and methods A total of 38 foetuses with IUGR and 18 normal control foetuses with similar gestational age were compared using a 3T magnetic resonance scanner. IUGR cases included 23 foetuses with clinical severity signs (group A) and 15 foetuses without clinical severity signs (group B). ADC values were measured in different brain regions and compared among groups. Foetuses with structural brain abnormalities were excluded from the study. Results All foetuses had normal foetal structural brain anatomy. Head circumference (HC) < 5% was more common in IUGR group A compared to IUGR group B (56.5% vs. 13.3%, p < 0.0001). In comparison to the normal group, the ADC values in IUGR foetuses were significantly lower in cerebellar hemispheres (CH) (1.239 vs. 1.280.5 × 10-3 mm2/s, p = 0.045), thalami (1.205 vs. 1.285 × 10-3 mm2/s, p = 0.031) and caudate nucleus (CN) (1.319 vs. 1.394 × 10-3 mm2/s, p = 0.04). However, there were no significant differences in ADC values between IUGR subtypes. Among all brain regions, pons had the lowest ADC values. Conclusions ADC values of thalami, CN, and CH were significantly lower in IUGR than control foetuses, while there was no significant difference among IUGR groups. Further studies are needed to evaluate the prognostic value of ADC changes in IUGR foetuses.
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18
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Thomason ME. Development of Brain Networks In Utero: Relevance for Common Neural Disorders. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 88:40-50. [PMID: 32305217 PMCID: PMC7808399 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 01/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging, histological, and gene analysis approaches in living and nonliving human fetuses and in prematurely born neonates have provided insight into the staged processes of prenatal brain development. Increased understanding of micro- and macroscale brain network development before birth has spurred interest in understanding the relevance of prenatal brain development to common neurological diseases. Questions abound as to the sensitivity of the intrauterine brain to environmental programming, to windows of plasticity, and to the prenatal origin of disorders of childhood that involve disruptions in large-scale network connectivity. Much of the available literature on human prenatal neural development comes from cross-sectional or case studies that are not able to resolve the longitudinal consequences of individual variation in brain development before birth. This review will 1) detail specific methodologies for studying the human prenatal brain, 2) summarize large-scale human prenatal neural network development, integrating findings from across a variety of experimental approaches, 3) explore the plasticity of the early developing brain as well as potential sex differences in prenatal susceptibility, and 4) evaluate opportunities to link specific prenatal brain developmental processes to the forms of aberrant neural connectivity that underlie common neurological disorders of childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moriah E Thomason
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Population Health, and Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York.
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19
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Schönberg N, Weisstanner C, Wiest R, Bonél HM, Piechowiak EI, Cullmann JL, Raio L, Pastore-Wapp M, Slavova N. The Influence of Various Cerebral and Extracerebral Pathologies on Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Values in the Fetal Brain. J Neuroimaging 2020; 30:477-485. [PMID: 32557916 PMCID: PMC7383773 DOI: 10.1111/jon.12727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The changing MRI signal accompanying brain maturation in fetal brains can be quantified on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. Deviations from the natural course of ADC values may reflect structural pathology. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of fetal pathologies on the ADC values in different regions of the fetal brain and their evolution with increasing gestational age. METHODS This was a retrospective study of 291 fetuses evaluated between the 14th and the 40th week of gestation using diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI). Fetuses with normal MRI findings but sonographically suspected pathology or fetuses with abnormalities not affecting the brain were analyzed in the control group and compared to fetuses suffering from different pathologies like hydrocephalus/ventriculomegaly, brain malformations, infections, ischemia/hemorrhage, diaphragmatic hernias, and congenital heart disease. Pairwise ADC measurements in each side of the white matter (WM) of the frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes, in the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, as well as a single measurement in the pons were performed and were plotted against gestational age. RESULTS In the control group, brain maturation followed a defined gradient, resulting in lower ADC values in the most mature regions. Each disorder group experienced abnormal patterns of evolution of the ADC values over time deviating from the expected course. CONCLUSIONS The ADC values in different regions of the fetal brain and their evolution with increasing gestational age are influenced by pathologies compromising the cerebral maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadja Schönberg
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Winterthur Canton Hospital, Winterthur, Switzerland
| | - Christian Weisstanner
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Roland Wiest
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Harald M Bonél
- Department of Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eike I Piechowiak
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer L Cullmann
- Department of Diagnostic, Interventional and Paediatric Radiology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Luigi Raio
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Manuela Pastore-Wapp
- Support Centre for Advanced Neuroimaging (SCAN), Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nedelina Slavova
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
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20
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Bao Q, Liberman G, Solomon E, Frydman L. High-resolution diffusion MRI studies of development in pregnant mice visualized by novel spatiotemporal encoding schemes. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2020; 33:e4208. [PMID: 31809554 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study introduces an MRI approach to map diffusion of water in vivo with high resolution under challenging conditions; the approach's potential is then used in diffusivity characterizations of embryos and fetoplacental units in pregnant mice, as well as of newborn mice in their initial postnatal period. The method relies on performing self-referenced spatiotemporal encoded MRI acquisitions, which can achieve the motional and susceptibility immunities needed to target challenging regions such as a mouse's abdominal cavity in a single shot. When suitably combined with zooming-in and novel interleaving procedures, these scans can overcome the inhomogeneity and sensitivity challenges arising upon targeting ≈100 μm in-plane resolutions, and thereby enable longitudinal development studies of abdominal organs that have hitherto eluded in vivo diffusion-weighted imaging. This is employed here to follow processes related to embryonic implantation and placentation, including the final stages of mouse gastrulation, the development of white matter in fetal brains, the maturation of fetal spines, and the evolution of the different layers making up mouse hemochorial placentas. The protocol's ability to extract diffusivity information in challenging regions as a function of embryonic mouse development is thus demonstrated, and its usefulness as a tool for visualizing pregnancy-related developmental changes in rodents is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingjia Bao
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gilad Liberman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Eddy Solomon
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Lucio Frydman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel
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21
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Sanz Cortes M, Torres P, Yepez M, Guimaraes C, Zarutskie A, Shetty A, Hsiao A, Pyarali M, Davila I, Espinoza J, Shamshirsaz AA, Nassr A, Whitehead W, Lee W, Belfort MA. Comparison of brain microstructure after prenatal spina bifida repair by either laparotomy-assisted fetoscopic or open approach. ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2020; 55:87-95. [PMID: 31219638 DOI: 10.1002/uog.20373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To compare prenatal and postnatal brain microstructure between infants that underwent fetoscopic myelomeningocele (MMC) repair and those that had open-hysterotomy repair. METHODS This was a longitudinal retrospective cohort study of 57 fetuses that met the Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) trial criteria and underwent prenatal MMC repair, by a fetoscopic (n = 27) or open-hysterotomy (n = 30) approach, at 21.4-25.9 weeks' gestation. Fetoscopic repair was performed under CO2 insufflation, according to our protocol. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed before surgery in 30 cases (14 fetoscopic and 16 open), at 6 weeks postsurgery in 48 cases (24 fetoscopic and 24 open) and within the first year after birth in 23 infants (five fetoscopic and 18 open). Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values from the basal ganglia, frontal, occipital and parietal lobes, mesencephalon and genu as well as splenium of the corpus callosum were calculated. ADC values at each of the three timepoints (presurgery, 6 weeks postsurgery and postnatally) and the percentage change in the ADC values between the timepoints were compared between the fetoscopic-repair and open-repair groups. ADC values at 6 weeks after surgery in the two prenatally repaired groups were compared with those in a control group of eight healthy fetuses that underwent MRI at a similar gestational age (GA). Comparison of ADC values was performed using the Student's t-test for independent samples (or Mann-Whitney U-test if non-normally distributed) and multivariate general linear model analysis, adjusting for GA or age at MRI and mean ventricular width. RESULTS There were no differences in GA at surgery or GA/postnatal age at MRI between the groups. No significant differences were observed in ADC values in any of the brain areas assessed between the open-repair and fetoscopic-repair groups at 6 weeks after surgery and in the first year after birth. No differences were detected in the ADC values of the studied areas between the control and prenatally repaired groups, except for significantly increased ADC values in the genu of the corpus callosum in the open-hysterotomy and fetoscopic-repair groups. Additionally, there were no differences between the two prenatally repaired groups in the percentage change in ADC values at any of the time intervals analyzed. CONCLUSIONS Fetoscopic MMC repair has no detectable effect on brain microstructure when compared to babies repaired using an open-hysterotomy technique. CO2 insufflation of the uterine cavity during fetoscopy does not seem to have any isolated deleterious effects on fetal brain microstructure. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Sanz Cortes
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - P Torres
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - M Yepez
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - C Guimaraes
- Department of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Radiology, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - A Zarutskie
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - A Shetty
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - A Hsiao
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - M Pyarali
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - I Davila
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - J Espinoza
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - A A Shamshirsaz
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - A Nassr
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - W Whitehead
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - W Lee
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - M A Belfort
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
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22
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Evaluation of changes in myelination in the brain during infancy and childhood using ADC maps. JOURNAL OF SURGERY AND MEDICINE 2019. [DOI: 10.28982/josam.633584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Yuan X, Yue C, Yu M, Chen P, Du P, Shao CH, Cheng SC, Bian RJ, Wang SY, Wang W, Cui GB. Fetal brain development at 25-39 weeks gestational age: A preliminary study using intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging. J Magn Reson Imaging 2019; 50:899-909. [PMID: 30677192 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.26667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The fetal brain developmental changes of water diffusivity and perfusion has not been extensively explored. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS To evaluate the fetal brain developmental changes of water diffusivity and perfusion using intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI). STUDY TYPE Prospective. POPULATION Seventy-nine normal singleton fetuses were scanned without sedation of healthy pregnant women. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 5 T MRI/T1 /2 -weighted image and IVIM-DWI. ASSESSMENT Pure diffusion coefficient (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) values were calculated in the frontal (FWM), temporal (TWM), parietal (PWM), and occipital white matter (OWM) as well as cerebellar hemisphere (CH), basal ganglia region (BGR), thalamus (TH), and pons using an IVIM model. STATISTICAL TESTS One-way analysis of variable (ANOVA) followed by Bonferroni post-hoc multiple comparison was employed to reveal the difference of IVIM parameters among the investigated brain regions. The linear and the nonlinear polynomial regression analyses were utilized to reveal the correlation between gestational age (GA) and IVIM parameters. RESULTS There were significant differences in both D (F(7,623) = 96.64, P = 0.000) and f values (F(7,623) = 2.361, P = 0.0219), but not D* values among the varied brain regions. D values from TWM (r2 = 0.1402, P = 0.0002), PWM (r2 = 0.2245, P = 0.0002), OWM (r2 = 0.2519, P = 0.0002), CH (r2 = 0.2245, P = 0.0002), BGR (r2 = 0.3393, P = 0.0001), TH (r2 = 0.1259, P = 0.0001), and D* value from pons (r2 = 0.2206, P = 0.0002) were significantly correlated with GA using linear regression analysis. Quadratic regression analysis led to results similar to those using the linear regression model. DATA CONCLUSION IVIM-DWI parameters may indicate fetal brain developmental alterations but the conclusion is far from reached due to the not as high-powered correlation between IVIM parameters and GA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2 Technical Efficacy Stage: 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:899-909.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Yuan
- Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Shaanxi, China
| | - Cui Yue
- Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Shaanxi, China
| | - Mei Yu
- Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Shaanxi, China
| | - Ping Chen
- Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Shaanxi, China
| | - Pang Du
- Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Shaanxi, China
| | - Chang-Hua Shao
- Student Brigade, Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Shaanxi, China
| | - Si-Chao Cheng
- Student Brigade, Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Shaanxi, China
| | - Ren-Jie Bian
- Student Brigade, Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Shaanxi, China
| | | | - Wen Wang
- Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Shaanxi, China
| | - Guang-Bin Cui
- Department of Radiology & Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Lab of Shaanxi Province, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University (Air Force Medical University), Shaanxi, China
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24
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Korostyshevskaya AM, Prihod'ko IY, Savelov AA, Yarnykh VL. Direct comparison between apparent diffusion coefficient and macromolecular proton fraction as quantitative biomarkers of the human fetal brain maturation. J Magn Reson Imaging 2019; 50:52-61. [PMID: 30635965 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.26635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) is known as a quantitative biomarker of prenatal brain maturation. Fast macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) mapping is an emerging method for quantitative assessment of myelination that was recently adapted to fetal MRI. PURPOSE To compare the capability of ADC and MPF to quantify the normal fetal brain development. STUDY TYPE Prospective. POPULATION Forty-two human fetuses in utero (gestational age [GA] = 27.7 ± 6.0, range 20-38 weeks). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 1.5 T; diffusion-weighted single-shot echo-planar spin-echo with five b-values for ADC mapping; spoiled multishot echo-planar gradient-echo with T1 , proton density, and magnetization transfer contrast weightings for single-point MPF mapping. ASSESSMENT Two operators measured ADC and MPF in the medulla, pons, cerebellum, thalamus, and frontal, occipital, and temporal cerebral white matter (WM). STATISTICAL TESTS Mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the factors of pregnancy trimester and brain structure; Pearson correlation coefficient (r); Hotelling-Williams test to compare strengths of correlations. RESULTS From the 2nd to 3rd trimester, ADC significantly decreased in the thalamus and cerebellum (P < 0.005). MPF significantly increased in the medulla, pons, thalamus, and cerebellum (P < 0.005). Cerebral WM had significantly higher ADC and lower MPF compared with the medulla and pons in both trimesters. MPF (r range 0.83, 0.89, P < 0.001) and ADC (r range -0.43, -0.75, P ≤ 0.004) significantly correlated with GA and each other (r range -0.32, -0.60, P ≤ 0.04) in the medulla, pons, thalamus, and cerebellum. No significant correlations or distinctions between regions and trimesters were observed for cerebral WM (P range 0.1-0.75). Correlations with GA were significantly stronger for MPF compared with ADC in the medulla, pons, and cerebellum (Hotelling-Williams test, P < 0.003) and similar in the thalamus. Structure-averaged MPF and ADC values strongly correlated (r = 0.95, P < 0.001). DATA CONCLUSION MPF and ADC demonstrated qualitatively similar but quantitatively different spatiotemporal patterns. MPF appeared more sensitive to changes in the brain structures with prenatal onset of myelination. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2 Technical Efficacy Stage: 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:52-61.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Korostyshevskaya
- Institute "International Tomography Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
| | - Irina Yu Prihod'ko
- Institute "International Tomography Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
| | - Andrey A Savelov
- Institute "International Tomography Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
| | - Vasily L Yarnykh
- University of Washington, Department of Radiology, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation
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25
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Katorza E, Strauss G, Cohen R, Berkenstadt M, Hoffmann C, Achiron R, Barzilay E, Bar-Yosef O. Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Levels and Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Fetuses with Brain MR Imaging White Matter Hyperintense Signal. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2018; 39:1926-1931. [PMID: 30190257 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a5802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE One of the perplexing findings of fetal brain MR imaging is white matter T2 hyperintense signal. The aims of our study were initially to determine the main etiologies associated with white matter T2 hyperintense signal, then to examine whether the different etiologies have different ADC values, and, last, to assess the association of white matter T2 hyperintense signal with developmental outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a prospective cohort study of 44 MR imaging scans of fetal brains obtained for suspected brain pathologies at a tertiary medical center during 2011-2015. Clinical data were collected from electronic medical charts. ADC values were measured and averaged in the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes. Neurodevelopmental assessments were performed with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales II. RESULTS Half of the cases of MRI hyperintense T2 signal of the fetal brain were associated with congenital cytomegalovirus infection. The other half were mainly idiopathic. Thus, the study group was divided to subgroups positive and negative for cytomegalovirus. Both groups had hyperintense signal in the temporal lobe. The group positive for cytomegalovirus had involvement of the parietal lobe. Only this group had increased ADC values in the temporal and parietal lobes. There was no association between the neurodevelopment outcome and the etiologies or ADC values. CONCLUSIONS T2 hyperintense signal in fetal brain MRI associated with positive cytomegalovirus infection has increased ADC values in the temporal and parietal lobes, suggestive of brain edema in these areas. However, the association between this finding and neurodevelopment outcome requires further evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Katorza
- From the Antenatal Diagnostic Unit (E.K., G.S., R.C., R.A., E.B.).,Sackler School of Medicine (E.K., G.S., R.C., M.B., C.H., R.A., E.B., O.B.-Y.), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - G Strauss
- From the Antenatal Diagnostic Unit (E.K., G.S., R.C., R.A., E.B.).,Sackler School of Medicine (E.K., G.S., R.C., M.B., C.H., R.A., E.B., O.B.-Y.), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - R Cohen
- From the Antenatal Diagnostic Unit (E.K., G.S., R.C., R.A., E.B.).,Sackler School of Medicine (E.K., G.S., R.C., M.B., C.H., R.A., E.B., O.B.-Y.), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - M Berkenstadt
- The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics (M.B.).,Sackler School of Medicine (E.K., G.S., R.C., M.B., C.H., R.A., E.B., O.B.-Y.), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - C Hoffmann
- Neuroradiology Unit (C.H.), Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine (E.K., G.S., R.C., M.B., C.H., R.A., E.B., O.B.-Y.), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - R Achiron
- From the Antenatal Diagnostic Unit (E.K., G.S., R.C., R.A., E.B.).,Sackler School of Medicine (E.K., G.S., R.C., M.B., C.H., R.A., E.B., O.B.-Y.), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - E Barzilay
- From the Antenatal Diagnostic Unit (E.K., G.S., R.C., R.A., E.B.).,Sackler School of Medicine (E.K., G.S., R.C., M.B., C.H., R.A., E.B., O.B.-Y.), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - O Bar-Yosef
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatric Neurology Unit (O.B.-Y.) .,Sackler School of Medicine (E.K., G.S., R.C., M.B., C.H., R.A., E.B., O.B.-Y.), Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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26
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Yarnykh VL, Prihod'ko IY, Savelov AA, Korostyshevskaya AM. Quantitative Assessment of Normal Fetal Brain Myelination Using Fast Macromolecular Proton Fraction Mapping. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2018; 39:1341-1348. [PMID: 29748201 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a5668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Fast macromolecular proton fraction mapping is a recently emerged MRI method for quantitative myelin imaging. Our aim was to develop a clinically targeted technique for macromolecular proton fraction mapping of the fetal brain and test its capability to characterize normal prenatal myelination. MATERIALS AND METHODS This prospective study included 41 pregnant women (gestational age range, 18-38 weeks) without abnormal findings on fetal brain MR imaging performed for clinical indications. A fast fetal brain macromolecular proton fraction mapping protocol was implemented on a clinical 1.5T MR imaging scanner without software modifications and was performed after a clinical examination with an additional scan time of <5 minutes. 3D macromolecular proton fraction maps were reconstructed from magnetization transfer-weighted, T1-weighted, and proton density-weighted images by the single-point method. Mean macromolecular proton fraction in the brain stem, cerebellum, and thalamus and frontal, temporal, and occipital WM was compared between structures and pregnancy trimesters using analysis of variance. Gestational age dependence of the macromolecular proton fraction was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). RESULTS The mean macromolecular proton fraction in the fetal brain structures varied between 2.3% and 4.3%, being 5-fold lower than macromolecular proton fraction in adult WM. The macromolecular proton fraction in the third trimester was higher compared with the second trimester in the brain stem, cerebellum, and thalamus. The highest macromolecular proton fraction was observed in the brain stem, followed by the thalamus, cerebellum, and cerebral WM. The macromolecular proton fraction in the brain stem, cerebellum, and thalamus strongly correlated with gestational age (r = 0.88, 0.80, and 0.73; P < .001). No significant correlations were found for cerebral WM regions. CONCLUSIONS Myelin is the main factor determining macromolecular proton fraction in brain tissues. Macromolecular proton fraction mapping is sensitive to the earliest stages of the fetal brain myelination and can be implemented in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- V L Yarnykh
- From the Department of Radiology (V.L.Y.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington .,Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics (V.L.Y.), Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation
| | - I Y Prihod'ko
- Institute "International Tomography Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (I.Y.P., A.A.S., A.M.K.), Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
| | - A A Savelov
- Institute "International Tomography Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (I.Y.P., A.A.S., A.M.K.), Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
| | - A M Korostyshevskaya
- Institute "International Tomography Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (I.Y.P., A.A.S., A.M.K.), Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
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27
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Kutuk MS, Sahin M, Gorkem SB, Doganay S, Ozturk A. Relationship between Doppler findings and fetal brain apparent diffusion coefficient in early-onset intra-uterine growth restriction. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2017; 31:3201-3208. [DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2017.1369519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mehmet Serdar Kutuk
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erciyes Üniversitesi, Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Murside Sahin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erciyes Üniversitesi, Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Sureyya Burcu Gorkem
- Department of Radiology, Erciyes Üniversitesi, Faculty of Medicine, Pediatric Radiology Division, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Selim Doganay
- Department of Radiology, Erciyes Üniversitesi, Faculty of Medicine, Pediatric Radiology Division, Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Ahmet Ozturk
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes Üniversitesi, Kayseri, Turkey
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28
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Arthurs OJ, Rega A, Guimiot F, Belarbi N, Rosenblatt J, Biran V, Elmaleh M, Sebag G, Alison M. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the fetal brain in intrauterine growth restriction. ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2017; 50:79-87. [PMID: 27706859 DOI: 10.1002/uog.17318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Revised: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is a sensitive method for assessing brain maturation and detecting brain lesions, providing apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values as a measure of water diffusion. Abnormal ADC values are seen in ischemic brain lesions, such as those associated with acute or chronic hypoxia. The aim of this study was to assess whether ADC values in the fetal brain were different in fetuses with severe intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) compared with normal controls. METHODS Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with single-shot axial DWI (b = 0 and b = 700 s/mm2 ) was performed in 30 fetuses with severe IUGR (estimated fetal weight < 3rd centile with absent or reversed umbilical artery Doppler flow) and in 24 normal controls of similar gestational age. Brain morphology and biometry were analyzed. ADC values were measured in frontal and occipital white matter, centrum semiovale, thalami, cerebellar hemisphere and pons. Frontal-occipital and frontal-cerebellar ADC ratios were calculated, and values were compared between IUGR fetuses and controls. RESULTS There was no difference in gestational age at MRI between IUGR and control fetuses (IUGR, 30.2 ± 1.6 weeks vs controls, 30.7 ± 1.4 weeks). Fetal brain morphology and signals were normal in all fetuses. Brain dimensions (supratentorial ± infratentorial) were decreased (Z-score, < -2) in 20 (66.7%) IUGR fetuses. Compared with controls, IUGR fetuses had significantly lower ADC values in frontal white matter (1.97 ± 0.23 vs 2.17 ± 0.22 × 10-3 mm2 /s; P < 0.0001), thalami (1.04 ± 0.15 vs 1.13 ± 0.10 ×10-3 mm2 /s; P = 0.0002), centrum semiovale (1.86 ± 0.22 vs 1.97 ± 0.23 ×10-3 mm2 /s; P = 0.01) and pons (0.85 ± 0.19 vs 0.94 ± 0.12 ×10-3 mm2 /s; P = 0.043). IUGR fetuses had a lower frontal-occipital ADC ratio than did normal fetuses (1.00 ± 0.11 vs 1.08 ± 0.05; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS ADC values in IUGR fetuses were significantly lower than in normal controls in the frontal white matter, thalami, centrum semiovale and pons, suggesting abnormal maturation in these regions. However, the prognostic value of these ADC changes is still unknown. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- O J Arthurs
- Department of Pediatric Radiology, Robert Debré Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - A Rega
- Department of Pediatric Radiology, Robert Debré Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - F Guimiot
- Department of Developmental Biology, Robert Debré Hospital, AP-HP, University Paris Diderot, Paris, France
- University Paris Diderot, Paris 7, PRES Sorbonne Paris-Cité, INSERM U1141, DHU PROTECT, Paris, France
| | - N Belarbi
- Department of Pediatric Radiology, Robert Debré Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - J Rosenblatt
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Robert Debré Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - V Biran
- University Paris Diderot, Paris 7, PRES Sorbonne Paris-Cité, INSERM U1141, DHU PROTECT, Paris, France
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Robert Debré Hospital, AP-HP, University Paris Diderot, Paris, France
| | - M Elmaleh
- Department of Pediatric Radiology, Robert Debré Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - G Sebag
- Department of Pediatric Radiology, Robert Debré Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
- University Paris Diderot, Paris 7, PRES Sorbonne Paris-Cité, INSERM U1141, DHU PROTECT, Paris, France
| | - M Alison
- Department of Pediatric Radiology, Robert Debré Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
- University Paris Diderot, Paris 7, PRES Sorbonne Paris-Cité, INSERM U1141, DHU PROTECT, Paris, France
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29
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Kotovich D, Guedalia JSB, Hoffmann C, Sze G, Eisenkraft A, Yaniv G. Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Value Changes and Clinical Correlation in 90 Cases of Cytomegalovirus-Infected Fetuses with Unremarkable Fetal MRI Results. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2017; 38:1443-1448. [PMID: 28522662 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a5222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cytomegalovirus is the leading intrauterine infection. Fetal MR imaging is an accepted tool for fetal brain evaluation, yet it still lacks the ability to accurately predict the extent of the neurodevelopmental impairment, especially in fetal MR imaging scans with unremarkable findings. Our hypothesis was that intrauterine cytomegalovirus infection causes diffusional changes in fetal brains and that those changes may correlate with the severity of neurodevelopmental deficiencies. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on 90 fetal MR imaging scans of cytomegalovirus-infected fetuses with unremarkable results and compared with a matched gestational age control group of 68 fetal head MR imaging scans. ADC values were measured and averaged in the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes; basal ganglia; thalamus; and pons. For neurocognitive assessment, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition (VABS-II) was used on 58 children in the cytomegalovirus-infected group. RESULTS ADC values were reduced for the cytomegalovirus-infected fetuses in most brain areas studied. The VABS-II showed no trend for the major domains or the composite score of the VABS-II for the cytomegalovirus-infected children compared with the healthy population distribution. Some subdomains showed an association between ADC values and VABS-II scores. CONCLUSIONS Cytomegalovirus infection causes diffuse reduction in ADC values in the fetal brain even in unremarkable fetal MR imaging scans. Cytomegalovirus-infected children with unremarkable fetal MR imaging scans do not deviate from the healthy population in the VABS-II neurocognitive assessment. ADC values were not correlated with VABS-II scores. However, the lack of clinical findings, as seen in most cytomegalovirus-infected fetuses, does not eliminate the possibility of future neurodevelopmental pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Kotovich
- From The Faculty of Medicine (D.K., A.E.), Institute for Research in Military Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps (D.K., A.E.), Chevy Chase, Maryland
| | - J S B Guedalia
- Neuropsychology Unit (J.S.B.G., G.Y.), Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - G Sze
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging (G.S., G.Y.), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - A Eisenkraft
- From The Faculty of Medicine (D.K., A.E.), Institute for Research in Military Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps (D.K., A.E.), Chevy Chase, Maryland
| | - G Yaniv
- Neuropsychology Unit (J.S.B.G., G.Y.), Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
- Dr. Pinchas Bornstein Talpiot Medical Leadership Program (G.Y.), Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging (G.S., G.Y.), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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Bültmann E, Mußgnug HJ, Zapf A, Hartmann H, Nägele T, Lanfermann H. Changes in brain microstructure during infancy and childhood using clinical feasible ADC-maps. Childs Nerv Syst 2017; 33:735-745. [PMID: 28364169 DOI: 10.1007/s00381-017-3391-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine age-related changes in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) during infancy and childhood using routine MRI data. METHODS A total of 112 investigations of patients aged 0 to 17.2 years showing a normal degree of myelination and no signal abnormalities on conventional MRI were retrospectively selected from our pool of pediatric MRI examinations at 1.5T. ADC maps based on our routinely included axial diffusion weighted sequence were created from the scanner. ADC values were measured in 35 different brain regions investigating normal age-related changes during the maturation of the human brain in infancy and childhood using clinical feasible sequences at 1.5T. RESULTS The relationship between ADC values and age in infancy and childhood can be described as an exponential function. With increasing age, the ADC values decrease significantly in all brain regions, especially during the first 2 years of life. Except in the peritrigonal white matter, no significant differences were found between both hemispheres. Between 0 and 2 years of life, no significant gender differences were detected. CONCLUSIONS Using ADC maps based on a routinely performed axial diffusion weighted sequence, it was possible first to describe the relationship between ADC values and age in infancy and childhood as exponential function in the whole brain and second to determine normative age-related ADC values in multiple brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bültmann
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Hans Joachim Mußgnug
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Antonia Zapf
- Department of Medical Statistics, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hans Hartmann
- Clinic for Pediatric Kidney, Liver, and Metabolic Diseases, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Nägele
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Radiological University Hospital, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Heinrich Lanfermann
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
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Brossard-Racine M, Limperopoulos C. Normal Cerebellar Development by Qualitative and Quantitative MR Imaging. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2016; 26:331-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2016.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Yaniv G, Hoffmann C, Weisz B, Lipitz S, Katorza E, Kidron D, Bergman D, Biegon A. Region-specific reductions in brain apparent diffusion coefficient in cytomegalovirus-infected fetuses. ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2016; 47:600-607. [PMID: 25412951 DOI: 10.1002/uog.14737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Revised: 09/29/2014] [Accepted: 11/17/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the fetal brain in utero. METHODS In this retrospective analysis we compared 58 fetal head magnetic resonance imaging (fhMRI) scans of PCR-verified CMV-infected fetuses, obtained in 2008-2012, with those of a normal control group of 36 gestational age (GA)-matched uninfected fetuses scanned between 2006 and 2012. Estimated GA at infection ranged from 1 to 32 weeks, and fhMRI was performed at 24 to 38 weeks. The frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes (mainly white matter), basal ganglia, thalamus, pons and cerebellum were analyzed by assessing ADC values. Two pregnancies were terminated and postmortem confirmation was available in these cases. RESULTS ADC values of CMV-infected fetuses correlated significantly and negatively with GA in all brain regions except the basal ganglia. The cerebellum had the greatest reduction (r = -0.52, P < 0.0001). Maternal age correlated positively with ADC in the frontal lobe (P < 0.05). GA at infection and overt pathological changes did not affect ADC significantly. Compared with non-infected fetuses, ADC values of affected fetuses were significantly reduced in the frontal (P < 0.0001), parietal (P < 0.0001), occipital (P = 0.0005) and temporal (P = 0.001) lobes and thalamus (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION CMV infection of the fetal brain results in a highly significant, region-dependent reduction of ADC values in the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes and thalamus, probably reflecting hypercellularity and inclusion bodies in damaged areas. Further studies are needed to determine if reduction in ADC values may serve as a prognostic factor in CMV-infected fetuses. Copyright © 2014 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Yaniv
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
- Institute for Research in Military Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and the Israeli Defence Force Medical Corps
| | - C Hoffmann
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - B Weisz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - S Lipitz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - E Katorza
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - D Kidron
- Department of Pathology, Meir Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - D Bergman
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - A Biegon
- Department of Neurology, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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Papadopoulou I, Langan D, Sebire NJ, Jacques TS, Arthurs OJ. Diffusion-weighted post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging of the human fetal brain in situ. Eur J Radiol 2016; 85:1167-73. [PMID: 27161067 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2016.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate perinatal brain apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values at postmortem MRI (PMMR) in order to evaluate post mortem changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Postmortem brain MRI was performed with diffusion gradient values b=0, 500, and 1000s/mm(2) on 43 fetal cases. Mean ADC values were calculated from 7 regions of interest (ROIs) throughout the brain. RESULTS 43 fetuses were evaluated with median gestational age 36 weeks (range 21-41). Overall, fetal brain ADC varied with maceration score, but not with gestational age or post mortem interval. The best single predictor of brain ADC was maceration score, which accounted for 52% of data variation for frontal cortex (p<0.001) and 44% in basal ganglia (p<0.001), and between 24% and 32% in all five of the other included brain areas. Gestation was only significantly associated with occipital ADC changes and post mortem interval only significantly associated with basal ganglia ADC changes. Median intra-observer and inter-observer variability was 6.0% (95% range 1.0%-18.1%) and 8.0% (95% range 0.2%-33.9%) respectively. CONCLUSION DWI characteristics in different fetal brain areas following death are multifactorial, with maceration the strongest predictor in most anatomical areas. Deep grey matter areas are also affected by gestation and post mortem interval. With better models, brain ADC may be useful to estimate the degree of maceration where gestation and post mortem interval is unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Papadopoulou
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London WC1N 3JH, UK.
| | - Dean Langan
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London WC1N 3JH, UK.
| | - Neil J Sebire
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London WC1N 3JH, UK; Institute of Child Health, UCL, London, UK.
| | - Thomas S Jacques
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London WC1N 3JH, UK; Institute of Child Health, UCL, London, UK.
| | - Owen J Arthurs
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London WC1N 3JH, UK; Institute of Child Health, UCL, London, UK.
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Abstract
Numerous events are involved in brain development, some of which are detected by neuroimaging. Major changes in brain morphology are depicted by brain imaging during the fetal period while changes in brain composition can be demonstrated in both pre- and postnatal periods. Although ultrasonography and computed tomography can show changes in brain morphology, these techniques are insensitive to myelination that is one of the most important events occurring during brain maturation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is therefore the method of choice to evaluate brain maturation. MRI also gives insight into the microstructure of brain tissue through diffusion-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Metabolic changes are also part of brain maturation and are assessed by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Understanding and knowledge of the different steps in brain development are required to be able to detect morphologic and structural changes on neuroimaging. Consequently alterations in normal development can be depicted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Girard
- Neuroradiology Service, Hôpital la Timone, Marseille, France; Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France.
| | - Meriam Koob
- Pediatric Radiology Imaging Service, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Strasbourg, Hôpital de Hautepierre and Laboratoire ICube, Université de Strasbourg-CNRS, Strasbourg, France
| | - Herv Brunel
- Neuroradiology Service, Hôpital la Timone, Marseille, France
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Schneider J, Kober T, Bickle Graz M, Meuli R, Hüppi PS, Hagmann P, Truttmann AC. Evolution of T1 Relaxation, ADC, and Fractional Anisotropy during Early Brain Maturation: A Serial Imaging Study on Preterm Infants. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2015; 37:155-62. [PMID: 26494693 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a4510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The alteration of brain maturation in preterm infants contributes to neurodevelopmental disabilities during childhood. Serial imaging allows understanding of the mechanisms leading to dysmaturation in the preterm brain. The purpose of the present study was to provide reference quantitative MR imaging measures across time in preterm infants, by using ADC, fractional anisotropy, and T1 maps obtained by using the magnetization-prepared dual rapid acquisition of gradient echo technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS We included preterm neonates born at <30 weeks of gestational age without major brain lesions on early cranial sonography and performed 3 MRIs (3T) from birth to term-equivalent age. Multiple measurements (ADC, fractional anisotropy, and T1 relaxation) were performed on each examination in 12 defined white and gray matter ROIs. RESULTS We acquired 107 MRIs (35 early, 33 intermediary, and 39 at term-equivalent age) in 39 cerebral low-risk preterm infants. Measures of T1 relaxation time showed a gradual and significant decrease with time in a region- and hemispheric-specific manner. ADC values showed a similar decline with time, but with more variability than T1 relaxation. An increase of fractional anisotropy values was observed in WM regions and inversely a decrease in the cortex. CONCLUSIONS The gradual change with time reflects the progressive maturation of the cerebral microstructure in white and gray matter. Our study provides reference trajectories from 25 to 40 weeks of gestation of T1 relaxation, ADC, and fractional anisotropy values in low-risk preterm infants. We speculate that deviation thereof might reflect disturbed cerebral maturation; the correlation of this disturbed maturation with neurodevelopmental outcome remains to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Schneider
- From the Clinic of Neonatology and Follow-up (J.S., M.B.G., A.C.T.), Department of Pediatrics
| | - T Kober
- Department of Radiology (T.K., R.M., P.H.), University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland Advanced Clinical Imaging Technology (T.K.), Siemens Healthcare IM BM PI, Lausanne, Switzerland LTS5 (T.K.), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - M Bickle Graz
- From the Clinic of Neonatology and Follow-up (J.S., M.B.G., A.C.T.), Department of Pediatrics
| | - R Meuli
- Department of Radiology (T.K., R.M., P.H.), University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - P S Hüppi
- Division of Development and Growth (P.S.H.), Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - P Hagmann
- Department of Radiology (T.K., R.M., P.H.), University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - A C Truttmann
- From the Clinic of Neonatology and Follow-up (J.S., M.B.G., A.C.T.), Department of Pediatrics
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Calloni SF, Cinnante CM, Bassi L, Avignone S, Fumagalli M, Bonello L, Consonni D, Picciolini O, Mosca F, Triulzi F. Neurodevelopmental outcome at 36 months in very low birth weight premature infants with MR diffuse excessive high signal intensity (DEHSI) of cerebral white matter. Radiol Med 2015; 120:1056-63. [PMID: 25903560 DOI: 10.1007/s11547-015-0540-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To understand the meaning of diffuse excessive high signal intensity (DEHSI) of white matter (WM), a frequently observed finding on MR in VLBW infants at a corrected term age. METHODS This is a retrospective study. Qualitative visual assessment of cerebral WM signal intensity on T2WI was performed by two readers on 78 VLBW infants, scanned on a 1.5 T-MRI at term equivalent age. ADC values were then measured in six regions of interest: four in frontal and parietal periventricular and two in parietal subcortical WM. Mean ADC values were then compared with qualitative visual assessment and with mean ADC values obtained ten term healthy babies. Both periventricular and subcortical mean ADC values were correlated with the neurological follow-up, evaluated with the Griffith's mental developmental scale at 36 months. RESULTS There was no agreement between the visual qualitative assessment of white matter DEHSI and corresponding ADC values (P values = 0.42 for periventricular WM; P values = 0.18 for subcortical WM). Mean ADC values were higher in preterms than in term babies (P values <0.001). No significant correlation was found between ADC values and the developmental quotient at 36 months (P values >0.05). CONCLUSIONS DEHSI in VLBW infants is a MR finding poorly defined with conventional T2 MRI. The presence of T2 hyperintensities weakly correlates with ADC, and ADC values are not associated with the neurological long-term outcome at 3 years, demonstrating that DEHSI should not be considered as a WM disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claudia Maria Cinnante
- Department of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Bassi
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sabrina Avignone
- Department of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Fumagalli
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Luke Bonello
- School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono, 7, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Dario Consonni
- Department of Epidemiology, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Odoardo Picciolini
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Mosca
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Triulzi
- Department of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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Tocchio S, Kline-Fath B, Kanal E, Schmithorst VJ, Panigrahy A. MRI evaluation and safety in the developing brain. Semin Perinatol 2015; 39:73-104. [PMID: 25743582 PMCID: PMC4380813 DOI: 10.1053/j.semperi.2015.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation of the developing brain has dramatically increased over the last decade. Faster acquisitions and the development of advanced MRI sequences, such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), perfusion imaging, functional MR imaging (fMRI), and susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), as well as the use of higher magnetic field strengths has made MRI an invaluable tool for detailed evaluation of the developing brain. This article will provide an overview of the use and challenges associated with 1.5-T and 3-T static magnetic fields for evaluation of the developing brain. This review will also summarize the advantages, clinical challenges, and safety concerns specifically related to MRI in the fetus and newborn, including the implications of increased magnetic field strength, logistics related to transporting and monitoring of neonates during scanning, and sedation considerations, and a discussion of current technologies such as MRI conditional neonatal incubators and dedicated small-foot print neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) scanners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon Tocchio
- Pediatric Imaging Research Center, Department of Radiology Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Beth Kline-Fath
- Department of Radiology Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Emanuel Kanal
- Director, Magnetic Resonance Services; Professor of Neuroradiology; Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)
| | - Vincent J. Schmithorst
- Pediatric Imaging Research Center, Department of Radiology Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Ashok Panigrahy
- Pediatric Imaging Research Center, Department of Radiology Children׳s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
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Han R, Huang L, Sun Z, Zhang D, Chen X, Yang X, Cao Z. Assessment of apparent diffusion coefficient of normal fetal brain development from gestational age week 24 up to term age: a preliminary study. Fetal Diagn Ther 2014; 37:102-7. [PMID: 25095737 DOI: 10.1159/000363650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Accepted: 05/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study was designed to investigate the feasibility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in evaluating normal fetal brain development from gestational week 24 up to term age. METHODS Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was performed on 40 normal fetuses (with normal results on sonography and normal fetal MRI results), with two b-values of 0 and 600 s/mm² in the three (x, y, z) orthogonal axes. Ten regions of interest (ROIs) were manually placed symmetrically in the bilateral frontal white matter (FWM), occipital white matter (OWM), thalamus (THAL), basal ganglia (BG), and cerebellar hemispheres (CH). ADC values of the ten ROIs in all subjects were measured by two radiologists independently. One-way ANOVA was used to calculate the differences among the five regions in the fetal brain and linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between ADC values and gestational age (GA). p < 0.05 was considered significantly different. RESULTS Mean GA was 31.3 ± 3.9 (range 24-41) weeks. The overall mean ADC values (× 10⁻⁶ mm²/s) of the fetuses were 1,800 ± 214 (FWM), 1,400 ± 100 (BG), 1,300 ± 126 (THAL), 1,700 ± 133 (OWM) and 1,400 ± 155 (CH), respectively. The ADC value of BG was not significantly different from those of THAL and CH, while the other four ROIs had significant differences with each other. The ADC values of BG, THAL, OWM and CH had strong negative correlations with increasing GA (R were -0.568, -0.716, -0.830 and -0.700, respectively, all p < 0.01), OWM declined fastest with GA, followed by CH and THAL, the slowest being BG. The ADC value of FWM had no significant change with GA (p = 0.366). CONCLUSIONS The measurement of ADC values is feasible to evaluate fetal brain development with high reliability and reproducibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Han
- Department of Radiology, Wuhan Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine Hospital, Wuhan, China
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Hart AR, Smith MF, Whitby EH, Alladi S, Wilkinson S, Paley MN, Griffiths PD. Diffusion-weighted imaging and magnetic resonance proton spectroscopy following preterm birth. Clin Radiol 2014; 69:870-9. [PMID: 24935906 DOI: 10.1016/j.crad.2014.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2014] [Accepted: 04/03/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
AIM To study the associations between magnetic resonance proton spectroscopy (MRS) data and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) from the preterm brain with developmental outcome at 18 months corrected age and clinical variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective observational cohort study of 67 infants born before 35 weeks gestational age who received both magnetic resonance imaging of the brain between 37 and 44 weeks corrected gestational age and developmental assessment around 18 months corrected age. RESULTS No relationships were found between ADC values and MRS results or outcome. MRS ratios involving N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) from the posterior white matter were associated with "severe" and "moderate to severe" difficulties, and fine motor scores were significantly lower in participants with a visible lactate doublet in the posterior white matter. The presence of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was the only clinical factor related to NAA ratios. CONCLUSION Altered NAA levels in the posterior white matter may reflect subtle white matter injury associated with neuro-developmental difficulties, which may be related to a PDA. Further work is needed to assess the longer-term neuro-developmental implications of these findings, and to study the effect of PDAs on developmental outcome in later childhood/adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R Hart
- Department of Paediatric Neurology and Child Development, Ryegate Children's Centre, Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Tapton Crescent Road, Sheffield S10 5DD, UK.
| | - M F Smith
- Department of Neonatology, Jessop Wing, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS, Foundation Trust, Tree Root Walk, Sheffield S10 2SF, UK
| | - E H Whitby
- Academic Unit of Radiology, University of Sheffield, Floor C, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheffield S10 2JF, UK
| | - S Alladi
- Department of Paediatric Neurology and Child Development, Ryegate Children's Centre, Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Tapton Crescent Road, Sheffield S10 5DD, UK
| | - S Wilkinson
- Department of Neonatology, Jessop Wing, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS, Foundation Trust, Tree Root Walk, Sheffield S10 2SF, UK
| | - M N Paley
- Academic Unit of Radiology, University of Sheffield, Floor C, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheffield S10 2JF, UK
| | - P D Griffiths
- Academic Unit of Radiology, University of Sheffield, Floor C, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Glossop Road, Sheffield S10 2JF, UK
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Hoffmann C, Weisz B, Lipitz S, Yaniv G, Katorza E, Bergman D, Biegon A. Regional apparent diffusion coefficient values in 3rd trimester fetal brain. Neuroradiology 2014; 56:561-7. [DOI: 10.1007/s00234-014-1359-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Sartor A, Arthurs O, Alberti C, Belarbi N, Tilea B, Boizeau P, Oury JF, Elmaleh-Berges M, Gressens P, Sebag G, Alison M. Apparent diffusion coefficient measurements of the fetal brain during the third trimester of pregnancy: how reliable are they in clinical practice? Prenat Diagn 2014; 34:357-66. [DOI: 10.1002/pd.4309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2013] [Revised: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 12/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Agnès Sartor
- Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Hôpital Robert Debré; AP-HP, Inserm UMR 676, Université Paris Diderot - Sorbonne Paris Cité; Paris France
| | - Owen Arthurs
- Service d'Imagerie Pédiatrique et Foetale; Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP; Paris France
| | - Corinne Alberti
- Unité d'Epidémiologie Clinique; Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP, Inserm CIE 5, Université Paris Diderot - Sorbonne Paris Cité; Paris France
| | - Nadia Belarbi
- Service d'Imagerie Pédiatrique et Foetale; Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP; Paris France
| | - Bogdana Tilea
- Service d'Imagerie Pédiatrique et Foetale; Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP; Paris France
| | - Priscilla Boizeau
- Unité d'Epidémiologie Clinique; Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP; Paris France
| | - Jean-Francois Oury
- Service de Gynécologie-Obstétrique, Hôpital Robert Debré; AP-HP, Inserm UMR 676, Université Paris Diderot - Sorbonne Paris Cité; Paris France
| | - Monique Elmaleh-Berges
- Service d'Imagerie pédiatrique et foetale; Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP, Inserm UMR 676; Paris France
| | - Pierre Gressens
- Inserm UMR 676; Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP, Université Paris Diderot - Sorbonne Paris Cité; Paris France
| | - Guy Sebag
- Service d'Imagerie Pédiatrique et Foetale; Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP, Inserm UMR 676, Université Paris Diderot - Sorbonne Paris Cité; Paris France
| | - Marianne Alison
- Service d'Imagerie Pédiatrique et Foetale; Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP, Inserm UMR 676, Université Paris Diderot - Sorbonne Paris Cité; Paris France
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Studholme C, Rousseau F. Quantifying and modelling tissue maturation in the living human fetal brain. Int J Dev Neurosci 2014; 32:3-10. [PMID: 23831076 PMCID: PMC4396985 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2013.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2012] [Revised: 05/08/2013] [Accepted: 06/13/2013] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in medical imaging are beginning to allow us to quantify brain tissue maturation in the growing human brain prior to normal term age, and are beginning to shed new light on early human brain growth. These advances compliment the work already done in cellular level imaging in animal and post mortem studies of brain development. The opportunities for collaborative research that bridges the gap between macroscopic and microscopic windows on the developing brain are significant. The aim of this paper is to provide a review of the current research into MR imaging of the living fetal brain with the aim of motivating improved interfaces between the two fields. The review begins with a description of faster MRI techniques that are capable of freezing motion of the fetal head during the acquisition of a slice, and how these have been combined with advanced post-processing algorithms to build 3D images from motion scattered slices. Such rich data has motivated the development of techniques to automatically label developing tissue zones within MRI data allowing their quantification in 3D and 4D within the normally growing fetal brain. These methods have provided the basis for later work that has created the first maps of tissue growth rate and cortical folding in normally developing brains in-utero. These measurements provide valuable findings that compliment those derived from post-mortem anatomy, and additionally allow for the possibility of larger population studies of the influence of maternal environmental and genes on early brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Studholme
- BICG, Departments of Pediatrics, Bioengineering, Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
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Fogtmann M, Seshamani S, Kroenke C, Cheng X, Chapman T, Wilm J, Rousseau F, Studholme C. A unified approach to diffusion direction sensitive slice registration and 3-D DTI reconstruction from moving fetal brain anatomy. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING 2014; 33:272-89. [PMID: 24108711 PMCID: PMC4271809 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2013.2284014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents an approach to 3-D diffusion tensor image (DTI) reconstruction from multi-slice diffusion weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions of the moving fetal brain. Motion scatters the slice measurements in the spatial and spherical diffusion domain with respect to the underlying anatomy. Previous image registration techniques have been described to estimate the between slice fetal head motion, allowing the reconstruction of 3D a diffusion estimate on a regular grid using interpolation. We propose Approach to Unified Diffusion Sensitive Slice Alignment and Reconstruction (AUDiSSAR) that explicitly formulates a process for diffusion direction sensitive DW-slice-to-DTI-volume alignment. This also incorporates image resolution modeling to iteratively deconvolve the effects of the imaging point spread function using the multiple views provided by thick slices acquired in different anatomical planes. The algorithm is implemented using a multi-resolution iterative scheme and multiple real and synthetic data are used to evaluate the performance of the technique. An accuracy experiment using synthetically created motion data of an adult head and an experiment using synthetic motion added to sedated fetal monkey dataset show a significant improvement in motion-trajectory estimation compared to current state-of-the-art approaches. The performance of the method is then evaluated on challenging but clinically typical in utero fetal scans of four different human cases, showing improved rendition of cortical anatomy and extraction of white matter tracts. While the experimental work focuses on DTI reconstruction (second-order tensor model), the proposed reconstruction framework can employ any 5-D diffusion volume model that can be represented by the spatial parameterizations of an orientation distribution function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mads Fogtmann
- Biomedical Image Computing Group, Departments of Pediatrics, Bioengineering and Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 USA, and also with the DTU Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs-Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sharmishtaa Seshamani
- Biomedical Image Computing Group, Departments of Pediatrics, Bioengineering and Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 USA
| | - Christopher Kroenke
- Oregon Health and Science University, Advanced Imaging Research Center and Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Washington, Portland, OR 97239 USA
| | - Xi Cheng
- Biomedical Image Computing Group, Departments of Pediatrics, Bioengineering and Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 USA
| | - Teresa Chapman
- Department of Radiology, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA 98105 USA
| | - Jakob Wilm
- DTU Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs-Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Colin Studholme
- Biomedical Image Computing Group, Departments of Pediatrics, Bioengineering and Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 USA
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Miao X, Qi M, Cui S, Guan Y, Jia Z, Hong X, Jiang Y. Assessing sequence and relationship of regional maturation in corpus callosum and internal capsule in preterm and term newborns by diffusion-tensor imaging. Int J Dev Neurosci 2014; 34:42-7. [PMID: 24480665 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2014.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2013] [Revised: 12/23/2013] [Accepted: 01/18/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) can be used to investigate water diffusion in living tissue. OBJECTIVE To investigate sequence and relationship of regional maturation in corpus callosum (CC) and internal capsule (IC) in preterm and term. METHODS DTI was performed on 11 preterm infants at less than 37 weeks of corrected gestational age (group I), 21 preterm infants at equivalent-term (group II), 11 term infants during neonatal period (group III). Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured in: anterior limb of IC (ALIC), posterior limb of IC (PLIC), genu and splenium of CC. RESULTS FA in splenium was more than that in other regions except genu of group I. Differences of FA between genu and PLIC were significant only in group III. ADC in genu was more than that in other regions but in splenium of groups I and II. Differences of ADC between splenium and ALIC were insignificant except group II. Higher FA and lower ADC in PLIC were gotten compared with those in ALIC. Correlations of FA and of ADC existed in CC and IC. CONCLUSION Maturation sequence was splenium followed by genu, then by PLIC and last by ALIC in term at neonatal period. Genu's maturation in preterm at equivalent-term was hindered. Regional maturation's correlations existed in CC and IC.
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Affiliation(s)
- XiaoLin Miao
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Min Qi
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - ShuDong Cui
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, China.
| | - YaFei Guan
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - ZhenYu Jia
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - XunNing Hong
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - YanNi Jiang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu 210029, China
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Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to image the in utero fetus for the past 3 decades. Although not as commonplace as other patient-oriented MRI, it is a growing field and demonstrating a role in the clinical care of the fetus. Indeed, the body of literature involving fetal MRI exceeds 3000 published articles. Indeed, there is interest in accessing even the healthy fetus with MRI to further understand the development of humans during the fetal stage. On the horizon is fetal imaging using 3.0-T clinical systems. Although a clear path is not necessarily determined, experiments, theoretical calculations, advances in pulse sequence design, new hardware, and experience from imaging at 1.5 T help define the path.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C Welsh
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5667, USA.
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Saleem SN. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): a tool for a better understanding of normal and abnormal brain development. J Child Neurol 2013; 28:890-908. [PMID: 23644716 DOI: 10.1177/0883073813486296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge of the anatomy of the developing fetal brain is essential to detect abnormalities and understand their pathogenesis. Capability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize the brain in utero and to differentiate between its various tissues makes fetal MRI a potential diagnostic and research tool for the developing brain. This article provides an approach to understand the normal and abnormal brain development through schematic interpretation of fetal brain MR images. MRI is a potential screening tool in the second trimester of pregnancies in fetuses at risk for brain anomalies and helps in describing new brain syndromes with in utero presentation. Accurate interpretation of fetal MRI can provide valuable information that helps genetic counseling, facilitates management decisions, and guides therapy. Fetal MRI can help in better understanding the pathogenesis of fetal brain malformations and can support research that could lead to disease-specific interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar N Saleem
- Department of Radiology, Kasr Al Ainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
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Mignone Philpott C, Shannon P, Chitayat D, Ryan G, Raybaud CA, Blaser SI. Diffusion-weighted imaging of the cerebellum in the fetus with Chiari II malformation. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2013; 34:1656-60. [PMID: 23721901 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a3468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Diffusion-weighted imaging can be used to characterize brain maturation. MR imaging of the fetus is used in cases of suspected Chiari II malformation when further evaluation of the posterior fossa is required. We sought to investigate whether there were any quantitative ADC abnormalities of the cerebellum in fetuses with this malformation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Measurements from ROIs acquired in each cerebellar hemisphere and the pons were obtained from calculated ADC maps performed on our Avanto 1.5T imaging system. Values in groups of patients with Chiari II malformations were compared with those from fetuses with structurally normal brains, allowing for the dependent variable of GA by using linear regression analysis. RESULTS There were 8 fetuses with Chiari II malformations and 23 healthy fetuses, ranging from 20 to 31 GW. There was a significant linear decline in the cerebellar ADC values with advancing gestation in our healthy fetus group, as expected. The ADC values of the cerebellum of fetuses with Chiari II malformation were higher [1820 (±100) × 10⁻⁶ mm²/s] than ADC values in the healthy fetuses (1370 ± 70) × 10⁻⁶ mm²/s. This was statistically significant, even when allowing for the dependent variable of GA (P = .0126). There was no significant difference between the pons ADC values in these groups (P = .645). CONCLUSIONS While abnormal white matter organization or early cerebellar degeneration could potentially contribute to our findings, the most plausible explanation pertains to abnormalities of CSF drainage in the posterior fossa, with increased extracellular water possibly accounting for this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Mignone Philpott
- Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Girard NJ, Chaumoitre K. The brain in the belly: what and how of fetal neuroimaging? J Magn Reson Imaging 2013; 36:788-804. [PMID: 22987757 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.23596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
This work reviews magnetic resonance imaging in the developing human brain. It focuses on fetal brain imaged in vivo and in utero with complementary sections on abnormalities seen in clinical settings, and on potential of diffusion tensor imaging and of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The main purposes are to illustrate the normal fetal developing brain and its abnormalities commonly encountered in utero, and to emphasize the potential role of adjunct techniques such as diffusion imaging and spectroscopy that may help elucidate fetal brain maturation and its abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine J Girard
- Department of Neuroradiology, Hopital Timone, Marseille, France.
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Boyer AC, Gonçalves LF, Lee W, Shetty A, Holman A, Yeo L, Romero R. Magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging: reproducibility of regional apparent diffusion coefficients for the normal fetal brain. ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2013; 41:190-7. [PMID: 22744761 PMCID: PMC3562408 DOI: 10.1002/uog.11219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/30/2012] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the reproducibility of regional apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements of the normal fetal brain in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. METHODS Fifty normal singleton fetuses from healthy pregnant women between 19 and 37 weeks' gestation were studied without sedation. Single-shot diffusion-weighted images of the fetal brain were obtained using a 1.5-Tesla magnetic resonance scanner and a six-channel body array coil. ADC maps were created using 0 and 1000 b-values along three orthogonal directions. Two examiners independently measured ADC values in the cerebellar hemispheres (CH), pons, thalamus, basal ganglia (BG), centrum semiovale (CSO), and frontal (FWM), parietal (PWM), temporal (TWM) and occipital (OWM) white matter. Correlation between ADC values and menstrual age was assessed by linear regression analysis. The bias and agreement of ADC measurements were determined using Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS ADC values either remained constant (BG, FWM, PWM, TWM, OWM, CSO) or decreased (CH, pons, thalamus) with advancing menstrual age. Mean intraobserver bias for ADC measurements was not significantly different from zero. Small interobserver differences in mean ADC measurements (i.e. a small mean bias) were detected for CH (1.26 ± 0.20 vs 1.20 ± 0.18 μm(2) /ms, P = 0.006), PWM (1.37 ± 0.29 vs 1.33 ± 0.26 μm(2) /ms, P = 0.02) and CSO (1.36 ± 0.29 vs 1.33 ± 0.28 μm(2) /ms, P < 0.0001). Measurement agreement was acceptable. CONCLUSIONS ADC measurements in normal unsedated fetuses in the second and third trimesters are reproducible except for small differences for PWM, CH and CSO between examiners.
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Boyer
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI 48073, USA.
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Ozcan UA, Işik U, Dincer A, Erzen C. Identification of fetal precentral gyrus on diffusion weighted MRI. Brain Dev 2013; 35:4-9. [PMID: 22341636 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2012.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2011] [Revised: 01/17/2012] [Accepted: 01/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
To investigate the association of the diffusion-weighted MR imaging characteristics of fetal preCG and gestational age. Forty-four fetuses with normal brain MRI findings were included in the study. Gestational ages ranged from 18 to 36 weeks (mean 25.2 weeks). All exams were performed with a 1.5-T scanner using a body array coil during free maternal breathing without sedation. Precentral gyrus was defined as the hyperintense strip anterior to the central sulcus, on the superior section of axial brain images at the level of superior frontal cortex. The presence of preCG hyperintensity was noted as observed/subtle/not observed at different b values (500, 1000 s/mm(2)) and on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps and compared to the imaging characteristics of the superior frontal cortex. Precentral gyrus was first detected at 25 weeks as a hyperintense strip on DWI and hypointense strip on ADC maps. Display of preCG b 1000 s/mm(2) images were better than b 500 s/mm(2). Between 25 and 27 weeks, in 40% of fetuses preCG was observed on one hemisphere, and it was evident bilaterally in 60% of cases. Starting from the 28th week, preCG was observed on both hemispheres in 100% of cases. Diffusion weighted imaging helps better understanding of the evolution of fetal preCG. The hyperintense preCG strip starts to appear at 25 weeks, and when interpreting fetal DWI after 28 weeks this may be a sign to be sought for in all fetuses and an indicator for normal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umit Aksoy Ozcan
- Department of Radiology, Acibadem University School of Medicine, Turkey.
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