Assessment of congenital heart disease (CHD): is there a role for fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?
Eur J Radiol
; 72(1): 172-80, 2009 Oct.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-18639994
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
To review our experience with fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate congenital heart disease (CHD).METHODS:
We performed fetal MRI in 32 fetuses with an echocardiographically assessed CHD. Both direct and indirect signs of CHD were investigated. Direct signs considered were morpho-volumetric abnormalities of the heart; malrotations; ventricular and atrial septal defects; anomalies of the origin, size and course of the great arteries. Indirect signs considered were difficulty to recognize a "normal" anatomical structures in the reference projections; increase of the vascular size before a stenosis; hypertrophy of the papillary muscles; cardiomegaly and pericardial effusion. All MRI findings were compared with postnatal or autoptic findings.RESULTS:
MRI allowed the CHD to be visualised by direct signs in 17 fetuses, indirect signs in 5 and both direct and indirect signs in 9 fetuses, excluding the prenatal echocardiographic suspect of hypoplastic left heart syndrome in 1 fetus. Postnatal echocardiograms or autoptic findings confirmed a normal heart in 1 fetus and CHD in 31 fetuses including a single cardiac anomaly or syndrome in 19 fetuses, 2 associated cardiac abnormalities in 11 and 3 cardiac anomalies in 1 fetus. However, in 2 fetuses MRI detected a ventricular septal defect successively disclosed by gold standard.CONCLUSIONS:
MRI is a promising method for further assessment of the cardiovascular pathologies diagnosed by echocardiography, and may be a valuable tool in assessing associated extracardiac anomalies.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Prenatal Diagnosis
/
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
/
Heart Defects, Congenital
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Evaluation_studies
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Eur J Radiol
Year:
2009
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Italy