1 - Neuroradiology Department, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, Lisboa, Portugal
2 - Gynecology/Obstetric Department, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, Lisboa, Portugal
Divulgação:Congresso Nacional de Neurorradiologia, Aveiro, Portugal, 23 e 24 Outubro 2015
Introduction/Objective: Fetal MRI is a growing technique, with a wide range of indications. It is often performed when an anomaly is suspected on US or there is a known insult and CNS affection wants to be ruled out. Implications of reporting fetal MRI are grave, as they may lead to the decision to terminate pregnancy. The accuracy of this technique varies widely depending on the center. The aim of our work was to compare fetal MRI with postnatal scans, to evaluate our center’s diagnostic accuracy.
Materials and methods: Using our prospective fetal MRI database, the patients with fetal and post-natal brain MRI were searched. All reports were reviewed and positive findings for each exam registered and compared, evaluating false positive and false negative findings on fetal MRI. Positive findings attributed to postnatal events were excluded.
Results: A total of 37 patients were identified. In the exams analysed, 69 true positive imaging findings, 12 false positive and 8 false negative were found in the fetal MRIs. Further positive findings were identified in 9 postnatal exams, but were considered to have occurred after birth/after fetal MRI, including complications of prematurity, subdural hemorrhage and neonatal stroke. The In this series the positive predictive value of Fetal MRI when compared to the postnatal exam was 85,2%.
Conclusion: Although postnatal MRI is more sensitive for CNS abnormalities, fetal MRI is a valuable imaging technique to evaluate the fetal brain.