3D Fetal Brain Volumetry in Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Mellisa Damodaram^1,2, Lisa Story^1,2, Prachi Patkee¹, Abhilasha Patel^1,2, Amy McGuinness¹, Joanna Allsop¹, Sailesh Kumar, ², Jo Hajnal¹, Mary Rutherford¹

Fetal intrauterine growth restriction is a significant problem that often results in iatrogenic premature delivery of the fetus. These children may have neurodevelopmental delay and exhibit problems that cannot be explained by the complications of prematurity alone. Little is known about the exact neurostructural deficiencies that arise as a result of intrauterine growth restriction, and MR studies have been limited by difficulties overcoming the inherent problem of fetal motion. We describe a technique to conduct 3D reconstruction of the fetal brain that enables volumetric analysis of the whole brain and cerebellum in both normally grown and growth restricted fetuses.