Post-mortem MRI of the foetal spine and spinal cord

• Published in: Clinical radiology Vol. 61; no. 8; pp. 679 - 685
• Main Authors: Widjaja, E., Whitby, E.H., Cohen, M., Paley, M.N.J., Griffiths, P.D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2006; Elsevier
• Subjects: Autopsy; Biological and medical sciences; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Feasibility Studies; Gestational Age; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Malformations and congenital and or hereditary diseases involving bones. Joint deformations; Malformations of the nervous system; Medical sciences; Neurology; Spinal Cord - abnormalities; Spinal Cord - embryology; Spine - abnormalities; Spine - embryology; Brain; Nuclear medicine; Nervous system diseases; Spinal cord; Spine; Diastematomyelia; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Spine disease; Congenital disease; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Encephalon; Spina bifida occulta; Malformation; Central nervous system disease; Radiology; Medical imagery; Spinal cord disease; Pulse sequence
• ISSN: 0009-9260; 1365-229X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.crad.2006.01.016

To compare the findings of post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the foetal spine with autopsy with a view to using post-mortem MRI as an alternative or adjunct to autopsy, particularly in foetal and neonatal cases. The brains and spines of 41 foetuses, with a gestational age range of 14–41 weeks, underwent post-mortem MRI before autopsy. Post-mortem MRI of the brain consisted of T2-weighted sequences in three orthogonal planes and MRI of the spine consisted of T2-weighted sequence in the sagittal and axial planes in all cases and coronal planes in selected cases. Thirty of 41 (78%) foetal spines were found to be normal at autopsy and on post-mortem MRI. Eleven of 41 (22%) foetal spines were abnormal: eight foetuses had myelomeningocoeles and Chiari 2 deformities, one foetus had limited dorsal myeloschisis, one foetus had caudal regression syndrome, and one had diastematomyelia. The post-mortem MRI findings concurred with the autopsy findings in 10/11 of the abnormal cases, the disagreement being the case of diastematomyelia that was shown on post-mortem MRI but was not diagnosed at autopsy. In this series, post-mortem MRI findings agreed with the autopsy findings in 40/41(98%) cases and in one case the post-mortem MRI demonstrated an abnormality not demonstrated at autopsy.