Purpose
The aim of our study was to investigate the use of IntraVoxel Incoerent Motion (IVIM) model in the study of physiological microstructural tissue changes in terms of perfusion and diffusion qualities, occurring in fetal lungs and kidneys during gestation.
We know that fetal lungs increase in volume during gestation proportionally to fetal body size, increase in T2W signal and decrease in T1W signal with gestational age (GE). DWI properties of lung parenchyma are predominantly influenced by the maturational changes of intrapulmonary fluid content and can...
Methods and materials
In our study we enrolled 40 pregnant women [gestational age (GA) 20-38 weeks] who were referred to our department to undergo prenatal MRI examination after obstetric US, from2017 to 2019.
The study inclusion criteria were the absence of fetal and maternal pathology and good image quality. The final study cohort was composed of 27 normal pregnancies fulfilling the inclusion study criteria.
Written informed consent was obtained by all pregnant women prior to fetal MR imaging. No sedation or contrast agent was administered. Prenatal MRI studies...
Results
Results are in general agreement with literature: IVIM parameters tend to change during gestation, potentially reflecting microstructural tissue changes occurring in renal and lung parenchyma during prenatal life.
In RENAL ROIs we found apositive correlation (p
Conclusion
In our study, in both lung and renal ROIs, there is an increasing perfusion fraction with gestational ageing, depicting the physiological increase of perfusion occurring in those tissue in fetal life.
According to literature, there is a correlation between diffusion properties and GE.
However, the possibility that a significant correlation exists between diffusion properties and gestational age in renal and lung parenchymal maturation is still under question.Moore et al reported a correlation between diffusion coefficient and GE infetal lung maturation, while Balassy et al have...
Personal information and conflict of interest
G. Ercolani; Rome/IT - nothing to disclose A. Antonelli; Rome/IT - nothing to disclose V. Celli; Rome/IT - nothing to disclose R. Petrillo; Rome/IT - nothing to disclose L. Manganaro; Rome/IT - nothing to disclose C. Catalano; Rome/IT - nothing to disclose
References
1.Jakab, MD, PhD , * Ruth L. Tuura, PhD, Raimund Kottke, MD, et al. Microvascular Perfusion of the Placenta, Developing Fetal Liver, and Lungs Assessed With Intravoxel Incoherent Motion Imaging; J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2017;00:000–000.
2.Le Bihan D, Breton E, Lallemand D, Aubin ML, Vignaud J, Laval- Jeantet M. Separation of diffusion and perfusion in intravoxel incoherent motion MR imaging. Radiology 1988; 168:497–505.
3.Moore RJ, Strachan B, Tyler DJ, Baker PN, Gowland PA. In vivo diffusion measurements as an indication of fetal lung maturation using...