Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr;59(4):1384-1393.
doi: 10.1002/jmri.28861. Epub 2023 Jun 14.

Diffusion-Weighted MRI of the Fetal Brain in Fetal Growth Restriction With Maternal Preeclampsia or Gestational Hypertension

Weizeng Zheng  1 , Guohui Yan  1 , Ying Jiang  2 , Zhongkun Bao  1 , Kui Li  1 , Meixiang Deng  1 , Baohua Li  2 , Yu Zou  1
Affiliations

Diffusion-Weighted MRI of the Fetal Brain in Fetal Growth Restriction With Maternal Preeclampsia or Gestational Hypertension

Weizeng Zheng et al. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2024 Apr.

Abstract

Background: The fetal neurodevelopmental microstructural alterations of intrauterine exposure to preeclampsia (PE) or gestational hypertension (GH) remain unknown.

Purpose: To evaluate the differences in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the fetal brain between normotensive pregnancies and PE/GH pregnancies, with a focus on PE/GH pregnancies with fetal growth restriction (FGR).

Study type: Retrospective matched case-control study.

Population: 40 singleton pregnancies with PE/GH complicated by FGR, and 3 paired control groups (PE/GH without FGR, normotensive FGR, normotensive pregnancies) (28-38 gestational weeks).

Field strength/sequence: DWI with single-shot echo-planar imaging at 1.5 Tesla.

Assessment: The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were calculated in the centrum semi-ovale (CSO), parietal white matter (PWM), frontal white matter (FWM), occipital white matter (OWM), temporal white matter (TWM), basal ganglia, thalamus (THAL), pons, and cerebellar hemisphere.

Statistical tests: Student t test or Wilcoxon matched test was used to reveal the difference of ADC values among the investigated brain regions. A correlation between gestational age (GA) and ADC values was determined by linear regression analysis.

Results: Compared with fetuses in PE/GH without FGR and those with normotensive pregnancies, fetuses in the PE/GH with FGR group had significantly lower average ADC measurements of supratentorial regions (1.65 ± 0.09 vs. 1.71 ± 0.10 10-3 mm2 /sec; vs. 1.73 ± 0.11 10-3 mm2 /sec, respectively). Regions of significantly decreased ADC values in the fetal brain included CSO, FWM, PWM, OWM, TWM and THAL in cases of PE/GH with FGR. ADC values from supratentorial regions in PE/GH pregnancies were not significantly correlated with GA (P = 0.12, 0.26); however, this trend was statistically significant in the normotensive groups.

Data conclusion: ADC values may indicate fetal brain developmental alterations in PE/GH with FGR fetuses but more microscopic and morphological studies are necessary to provide additional evidence to offer a different interpretation of this trend in fetal brain.

Level of evidence: 4 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 3.

Keywords: diffusion magnetic resonance imaging; fetal growth restriction; fetus; preeclampsia.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Chappell LC, Cluver CA, Kingdom J, Tong S. Pre-eclampsia. Lancet 2021;398(10297):341-354.
    1. Walker CK, Krakowiak P, Baker A, Hansen RL, Ozonoff S, Hertz-Picciotto I. Preeclampsia, placental insufficiency, and autism spectrum disorder or developmental delay. JAMA Pediatr 2015;169(2):154-162.
    1. Voutetakis A, Pervanidou P, Kanaka-Gantenbein C. Aspirin for the prevention of preeclampsia and potential consequences for fetal brain development. JAMA Pediatr 2019;173(7):619-620.
    1. Sun BZ, Moster D, Harmon QE, Wilcox AJ. Association of Preeclampsia in term births with neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring. JAMA Psychiat 2020;77(8):823-829.
    1. Chen Z, Li R, Liu H, et al. Impact of maternal hypertensive disorders on offspring's neurodevelopment: A longitudinal prospective cohort study in China. Pediatr Res 2020;88(4):668-675.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources