Abstract #1784

Development of a MR-Compatible Cardiotocograph for the Non-Invasive Assessment of the Birth Process Via MRI.

Andreas Heinrich¹, Jens Rump¹, Felix Gttler¹, Christian Seebauer², Bernd Hamm¹, Ulf Teichgrber¹

¹Department of Radiology, Charit-Universittsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; ²Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery, Charit-Universittsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

For a non-invasive assessment of the birth process under MR control, an MR-compatible cardiotocograph (CTG) was developed and tested for a safe monitoring of physiological parameters (heart rate, uterine contraction). Voltages generated by the MRI led to disturbances of heart rate data, whereas uterine contraction data were minor influenced. The effects of spoiled and balanced gradient-echo sequences on CTG was examined. Disturbances caused by MRI mainly depends on repetition time (TR). In order to overcome this, a MR-noise-filter (TR-dependend frequency comb filter and a low pass filter) was developed and analyzed. As a result, the fetal heart rate as well as the uterine contraction could be assessed clearly during MR image acquisition.