Synthetic MRI and MR Fingerprinting-Derived Relaxometry of Antenatal Human Brainstem Myelination: A Postmortem-Based Quantitative Imaging Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The radiologic evaluation of ongoing myelination is currently limited prenatally. Novel quantitative MR imaging modalities provide relaxometric properties that are linked to myelinogenesis. In this retrospective postmortem imaging study, the capability of Synthetic MR imaging and MR fingerprinting-derived relaxometry for tracking fetal myelin development was investigated. Moreover, the consistency of results for both MR approaches was analyzed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In 26 cases, quantitative postmortem fetal brain MR data were available (gestational age range, 15 + 1 to 32 + 1; female/male ratio, 14/12). Relaxometric measurements (T1-/T2-relexation times) were determined in the medulla oblongata and the midbrain using Synthetic MR imaging/MR fingerprinting-specific postprocessing procedures (Synthetic MR imaging and MR Robust Quantitative Tool for MR fingerprinting). The Pearson correlations were applied to detect relationships between T1-relaxation times/T2-relaxation times metrics and gestational age at MR imaging. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the consistency of the results provided by both modalities.

RESULTS

Both modalities provided quantitative data that revealed negative correlations with gestational age at MR imaging: Synthetic MR imaging-derived relaxation times (medulla oblongata [

CONCLUSIONS

There is a good-to-excellent consistency between postmortem Synthetic MR imaging and MR fingerprinting myelin quantifications in fetal brains older than 15 + 1 gestational age. The strong correlations between quantitative myelin metrics and gestational age indicate the potential of quantitative MR imaging to identify delayed or abnormal states of myelination at prenatal stages of cerebral development.

Informations de copyright

© 2024 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.