Normative fetal brain growth by quantitative in vivo magnetic resonance imaging

The objective of the study was to characterize total and regional volumetric brain growth in healthy fetuses during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, using an automated method. We developed and validated an automated method to quantify global and regional in vivo brain volumes using feta...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of obstetrics and gynecology Vol. 206; no. 2; pp. 173.e1 - 173.e8
Main Authors: Clouchoux, Cedric, Guizard, Nicolas, Evans, Alan Charles, du Plessis, Adre Jacques, Limperopoulos, Catherine
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01.02.2012
Elsevier
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - growth & development
brain growth
Cohort Studies
development
Female
fetal
Fetal Development - physiology
Gestational Age
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical sciences
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Pregnancy
Prospective Studies
quantitative
development
magnetic resonance imaging
brain growth
fetal
quantitative
Pregnancy
Brain
In vivo
Growth
Gynecology
Medical imagery
Fetus
Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging
Obstetrics
Quantitative analysis
Encephalon
ISSN:0002-9378, 1097-6868, 1097-6868
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The objective of the study was to characterize total and regional volumetric brain growth in healthy fetuses during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, using an automated method. We developed and validated an automated method to quantify global and regional in vivo brain volumes using fetal magnetic resonance imaging. We then computed the percentage of growth for each brain structure in a cohort of 64 healthy fetuses (25.4-36.6 weeks' gestational age). The cerebellum demonstrated the greatest maturation rate, with a 4-fold increase (384%) in volume between 25.4 and 36.6 weeks, and a relative growth rate of 12.87% per week. Both total brain and cerebral volumes increased by 230% and brain stem volume by 134% over the same gestational age period. Conversely, lateral ventricular volume decreased by 4.18% per week. The availability and ongoing validation of normative fetal brain growth trajectories will provide important tools for early detection of impaired fetal brain growth upon which to manage high-risk pregnancies.
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ISSN:0002-9378
1097-6868
1097-6868
DOI:10.1016/j.ajog.2011.10.002