Fetal MRI at Higher Field Strength

Abstract

While fetal MRI has become a routine method at field strengths up to 1.5 T, the use of higher field strength is at an early stage. A higher signal-to-noise ratio is accompanied by a higher energy deposition. In addition, parameters of sequences have to be adjusted to achieve useful contrasts. Susceptibility effects and certain artifacts that increase with higher field strength have to be considered. The same is true for certain artifacts that maybe negligible at lower field strength. Special measures have to be taken to grant maternal and fetal safety. Due to the high resolution, MR imaging at 3 T is currently the method of choice in postmortem fetal imaging.