Tayyib Hayat1,2, Joanna Allsop1, Amy McGuinness1, Fabrizio Ferrari3, Mary Rutherford1,2, Joseph V. Hajnal1
1Robert Steiner MRI Unit, Imaging Sciences Department, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK; 2Perinatal Imaging Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK; 3Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Modena University Hospital, Italy
The analysis of motor function is an important element of the neurological assessment of human neonates, with General Movements (GM) being a recognised pattern that is clinically useful in diagnosing abnormal infants. To assess GM, the whole infant must be observed. Attempts to study fetal GM in utero by ultrasound have been hindered by limitations in the field-of-view, particularly later in pregnancy. We have optimised a MR cine sequence for imaging the whole fetus throughout gestation and performed a pilot study that shows differences in movement quality with age and a neurological condition.
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