Abstract
Objective:
We aimed to study the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including a novel MRI sequence-the modified volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE)-in the characterization of the fetal skeleton. This novel sequence was useful for reconstructing three-dimensional images of the skeleton.
Materials and Methods:
We enrolled 22 pregnant women whose fetuses had shown congenital abnormalities on ultrasound examinations. The women underwent prenatal fetal MRI in a 1.5-T scanner with a T2-weighted modified VIBE sequence. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the fetal skeleton were performed manually on the instrument itself or via an interactive pen-tablet workstation.
Results:
Three-dimensional reconstructions of the fetal skeleton were performed after the acquisition of modified VIBE MRI sequences, and it was possible to characterize the fetal skeleton in all MRI examinations.
Conclusion:
A detailed evaluation of the three-dimensional reconstructions of fetal skeleton performed after acquisition of a modified VIBE MRI sequence allowed a full characterization of the skeleton. However, improvements to the proposed sequence should be addressed in future studies.
Keywords:
Fetus; Bone diseases, developmental; Magnetic resonance imaging
