Paul David Griffiths

BACKGROUND: In-utero MRI (iuMRI) has shown promise as an adjunct to ultrasound but the comparative diagnostic performance has been poorly defined. We aimed to assess whether the diagnostic accuracy and confidence of the prenatal diagnosis of fetal brain abnormalities is improved with iuMRI and assess the clinical impact and patient acceptability of iuMRI.

METHODS: We did a multicentre, prospective, cohort study in the UK, at 16 fetal medicine centres, of pregnant women aged 16 years or ...

BACKGROUND: Ultrasonography has been the mainstay of antenatal screening programmes in the UK for many years. Technical factors and physical limitations may result in suboptimal images that can lead to incorrect diagnoses and inaccurate counselling and prognostic information being given to parents. Previous studies suggest that the addition of in utero magnetic resonance imaging (iuMRI) may improve diagnostic accuracy for fetal brain abnormalities. These studies have limitations, ...

PurposeTo refine methods that assess structural brain abnormalities and calculate intracranial volumes in fetuses with congenital heart diseases (CHD) using in utero MR (iuMR) imaging. Our secondary objective was to assess the prevalence of brain abnormalities in this high-risk cohort and compare the brain volumes with normative values.MethodsWe performed iuMR on 16 pregnant women carrying a fetus with CHD and gestational age ≥ 28-week gestation and no brain abnormality on ...

PURPOSE: Upon inhalation, xenon diffuses into the bloodstream and is transported to the brain, where it dissolves in various compartments of the brain. Although up to five chemically distinct peaks have been previously observed in (129) Xe rat head spectra, to date only three peaks have been reported in the human head. This study demonstrates high resolution spectroscopy and chemical shift imaging (CSI) of (129) Xe dissolved in the human head at 1.5 Tesla.

METHODS: A (129) Xe ...

OBJECTIVE: Lissencephaly is a rare disorder of cortical developmental, which usually carries increased risk of recurrence in future pregnancies. In this prospective observational study, we wished to test the hypothesis that sulcation patterns can be used to diagnose lissencephaly successfully on in utero MR (iuMR) imaging in the third-trimester but not in the late second-trimester fetus.

METHODS: Pregnant females were recruited into this study if they had an increased risk of fetal ...

ObjectivesThis systematic review was undertaken to define the diagnostic performance of in utero MR (iuMR) imaging when attempting to confirm, exclude or provide additional information compared with the information provided by prenatal ultrasound scans (USS) when there is a suspicion of foetal brain abnormality.MethodsElectronic databases were searched as well as relevant journals and conference proceedings. Reference lists of applicable studies were also explored. Data extraction was ...

PurposeIn this paper, I will report the range of appearances of schizencephaly in children and fetuses by reviewing a 10-year experience from a single centre and detail classification systems for the different forms of schizencephaly. This will lead to re-assessment of possible aetiological and mechanistic causes of schizencephaly.MethodsAll cases of pediatric and fetal schizencephaly were located on the local database between 2007 and 2016 inclusive. The studies were reviewed for the ...

AIM: To measure possible change in diagnostic confidence by performing in utero magnetic resonance imaging (iuMRI) studies on fetuses with brain abnormalities recognised on ultrasonography (US).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The analyses are based on the primary cohort from the prospective MERIDIAN study, which consisted of 570 fetuses with brain abnormalities detected on US, with iuMRI performed within 2 weeks of US and complete outcome reference data. The cohort was recruited between July ...

PurposeTo describe the normal linear measurements of the skull (bi-parietal diameter and occipito-frontal diameter) and intracranial volumes (ventricular volume, brain parenchymal volume, extra-axial volume and total intra-cranial volume) in normal fetuses.Materials and methodsWe recruited pregnant women from low-risk pregnancies whose fetuses had normal ultrasound and in utero MR studies. All volunteers had in utero MR imaging on the same 1.5T MR scanner with a protocol consisting of ...

BACKGROUND: In utero MRI (iuMRI) detects fetal brain abnormalities more accurately than ultrasonography and provides additional clinical information in around half of pregnancies. We aimed to study whether postnatal neuroimaging after age 6 months changes the diagnostic accuracy of iuMRI and its ability to predict developmental outcome.

METHODS: Families enrolled in the MERIDIAN study whose child survived to age 3 years were invited to have a case note review and assessment of ...

ObjectiveTo formulate a classification system for foetal cortical formation abnormalities (CFAs) based on in utero magnetic resonance (iuMR) appearances and trial it in 356 cases.MethodsThis retrospective study included all cases of foetal CFA diagnosed between 2000 and 2017 from seven centres in Italy and UK. All of the studies were reviewed by a panel of paediatric neuroradiologists experienced in iuMR with the aid of an algorithm designed to categorise the ...

OBJECTIVE: To analyze a large retrospective cohort of fetuses in which the cavum septi pellucidi and vergae (CSPV) was not present or was not in its expected position on in-utero magnetic resonance imaging (iuMRI), in order to describe the possible causes of that finding and provide a diagnostic approach to assess such cases in clinical practice using iuMRI.

METHODS: This was a retrospective study of fetuses that underwent iuMRI at a single institution, over an 18-year period (2000-2017 ...

There are a number of reasons why a pregnant woman might be considered to have an increased risk of carrying a fetus with a brain abnormality, but they fall broadly into two groups. First, there may be a relevant family history usually, but not always, when a fetus/child from a previous pregnancy has a developmental brain abnormality and a clinical geneticist judges that there is a risk of recurrence. Second, there may be findings in their current pregnancy that increases the risk of the ...

ObjectivesIn utero magnetic resonance (iuMR) imaging to diagnose foetal brain abnormalities has been established and is supported by meta-analyses of retrospective and prospective studies. In this paper we describe and classify the iuMR errors made in the largest diagnostic accuracy study to date (MERIDIAN). We also correlate the error rates and types with the prior experience of the reporting radiologists in order to inform how to provide a national programme with the best diagnostic ...

AIM: To estimate the rate of unexpected brain abnormalities detected by in utero magnetic resonance imaging (iuMRI) in fetuses without abnormalities at ultrasonography (USS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study of pregnant women whose fetus had no structural brain (or body) abnormalities recognised on antenatal ultrasonography. Women were recruited from 12 centres across the UK and underwent iuMRI at 18 gestational weeks or more in the [blinded for review]. The imaging ...