The role of a novel magnetic resonance imaging sequence in the evaluation of the fetal skeleton: a pilot study

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.

摘要
目的：本研究旨在探究磁共振成像（Magnetic Resonance Imaging，MRI）在胎儿骨骼特征表征中的应用价值，其中包含一种新型磁共振序列——改良容积内插屏气检查序列（modified volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination, VIBE）。该新型序列可用于胎儿骨骼的三维图像重建。
材料与方法：本研究纳入22名经超声检查发现胎儿存在先天性异常的孕妇。所有受试者均接受1.5T扫描仪下的产前胎儿MRI检查，扫描序列为T2加权改良VIBE序列。胎儿骨骼的三维重建可通过扫描仪本机手动完成，或借助交互式数位板工作站实现。
结果：采集改良VIBE MRI序列后，成功完成胎儿骨骼三维重建，且所有MRI检查均可清晰表征胎儿骨骼特征。
结论：对改良VIBE MRI序列采集后获得的胎儿骨骼三维重建结果进行详细评估，可全面完成胎儿骨骼的特征表征。不过未来研究仍需对该序列进行优化完善。