MRI helps diagnose fetal brain abnormality after 20 week scan, study finds

Carrying out a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan helps to diagnose fetal brain abnormalities more accurately in women whose 20 week pregnancy ultrasound scan has shown a potential problem, a prospective study has found.1

The study included 570 women aged over 16 whose ultrasound scan at around 20 weeks of pregnancy suggested a brain abnormality in their developing fetus. This is relatively common, occurring in around three in 1000 pregnancies.

The women in the study had an in utero MRI scan within 14 …