FETAL FAST MR-IMAGING - REPRODUCIBILITY, TECHNICAL QUALITY, AND CONSPICUOUSNESS OF ANATOMY

PURPOSE: To evaluate the normal appearance of fetal anatomy, the consp icuity of fetal organs, the reproducibility of images, and the limitat ions to image quality with the use of half-Fourier, single-shot rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-four fetuses of 49 pregnancies underwent MR imaging with the, half-fourier, single-shot RARE techniqu e. Two reviewers attempted to identify 47 organs and anatomic regions in each fetus. Organ or region conspicuity, image quality, and the lim itations of image quality were graded. RESULTS: Fetal anatomy was well depicted in fetuses over 20 weeks in gestational age. Fetal imaging w as limited by gestational age of 20 weeks or less usually owing to the small size of the organ or region being evaluated and, less frequentl y, by motion. CONCLUSION: Half-Fourier, single-shot RARE MR imaging pr ovided a detailed and reproducible evaluation of normal fetal anatomy, which can be used as a standard of reference in MR imaging of fetal a nomalies.