ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the prenatal MRI diagnosis of fetal intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and the pregnancy outcomes.Methods:This retrospective study included 49 cases of fetal ICH diagnosed by MRI in Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University from July 2011 to November 2019. Two experts with more than five years of experience in obstetric radiology determined the location, number, area, stage and grade of the hemorrhage based on the MRI findings. Maternal age, gestational age at MRI, and the site, number, stage and grade of hemorrhage as well as other intracranial and extracranial abnormalities of the fetuses were compared between women with fetal germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage (GM-IVH; GM-IVH group, n=39) and those without (non-GM-IVH group, n=10). MRI and ultrasound examination results of 37 cases who had MRI within three days after the ultrasound examination were compared. Postnatal and follow-up outcomes were summarized. Statistical analysis was performed using the independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square test. Results:There was no significant difference in the maternal age, gestational age at MRI, or the site, number or stage of hemorrhage between the GM-IVH group and non-GM-IVH group (all P>0.05). The incidence of ventriculomegaly was higher in the GM-IVH group than that in the non-GM-IVH group [87% (34/39) vs 0/10, t=24.522, P<0.001]. There were 51% (19/37) of the lesions that were missed by ultrasound found by MRI, including GM-IVH in 17 cases, right cerebellar hemisphere hemorrhage in one case and corpus callosum hemorrhage in one case. Among the 49 cases, seven were lost to follow-up, 29 terminated the pregnancy (six in non-GM-IVH group and 23 in GM-IVH group), two experienced intrauterine fetal death in late pregnancy and 11 gave live birth. Ten live births had GM-IVH, among them a relatively good prognosis was noted in fetuses with grade Ⅰ (two cases), grade Ⅱ (four cases), and grade Ⅲ (three cases) GM-IVH, while one case with grade Ⅳ GM-IVH had mental retardation at eight years old; one non-GM-IVH infant had hearing loss at birth and a cochlear was implanted with no other anomalies reported during a three-year follow-up. Conclusions:MRI can provide a more direct view of the location and grade of fetal ICH and is more accurate than prenatal ultrasound in diagnosing fetal ICH, which is a beneficial supplement to ultrasound. The prognosis of cases with grade Ⅳ GM-IVH is not good.