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Fetal MRI pp 247–258Cite as

MRI of the Fetal Heart

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Part of the book series: Medical Radiology ((Med Radiol Diagn Imaging))

Abstract

Visualization of the fetal heart with MRI is complicated because of the small size of the fetal heart and the high heart rate of app­roximately 140 beats per minute. While con­ventional T2-weighted sequences only allow assessment of its size and position, steady-state free-precession sequences are currently the best way to image the fetal heart. The anatomical detail that can be depicted depends on fetal size and on section plane. However, as cardiac triggering is not possible in the fetal setting, the images are taken at random points in the fetal cardiac cycle. This leads to blurring and prevents exact visualization of the thin moving parts, such as the cusps and valves. This may be partly overcome by using dynamic sequences. While a variety of fetal cardiac malformations, especially those associated with cardiomegaly, can also be detected with MRI, its additional value in evaluating fetal cardiac pathologies remains to be determined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Integrative Morphology Group, Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringerstrasse 13, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Peter C. Brugger

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  1. Peter C. Brugger
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Correspondence to Peter C. Brugger .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Klinik für Radiodiagnostik, Medizinische Universität Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, Wien, 1090, Austria

    Daniela Prayer

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© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Brugger, P.C. (2010). MRI of the Fetal Heart. In: Prayer, D. (eds) Fetal MRI. Medical Radiology(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2010_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2010_20

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-73270-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-73271-6

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