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Published on: 1/21/2000
Last Visited: 1/8/2002
"Ultrasound is a wonderful tool, but it is sometimes limited in what it reveals," said Fergus Coakley, MBBCh, associate clinical professor of radiology at the University of California, San Francisco, and lead author of a study using MRI to assess potential fetal abnormalities."If a radiologist says to an expectant couple, ‘I don't like the way your fetus's brain is forming,' then they're terrified.MRI gives them a very powerful tool to provide more information.When the possibility is that the fetus ranges from near normal to being in devastatingly poor health, it means a lot."
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Information from MRI changed management of the pregnancy in 6 cases, said Dr. Coakley."MRI can play an invaluable role when couples are faced with an ultrasound diagnosis of a possibly life-threatening birth defect," said Dr. Coakley."That is especially true when surgery may be an option, either in-utero or immediately after birth.The extra clarification available with an MRI can help parents and their doctors decide on a plan of action."
Central Nervous System And Genitourinary Problems Seen on MRI
In the Harvard Medical School study, 35 pregnant women were referred for MRI, and 13 of those were included in the study of fetal MRI.
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Co-authors of a paper on the topic being presented by Dr. Coakley include: Hedvig Hricak, MD, PhD; Roy A. Filly, MD; Anthony J. Barkovich, MD; and Michael R. Harrison, MD.