Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38126921›Full record

ArticlePrenatal diagnosis2024

Functional assessment of brain development in fetuses that subsequently deliver very preterm: An MRI pilot study.

Lisa Story, Alena Uus, Megan Hall, Kelly Payette, Spyros Bakalis, Tomoki Arichi, Andrew Shennan, Mary Rutherford, Jana Hutter

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Prenatal diagnosis, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Rapid, high-resolution and distortion-freeMagnetic resonance in medicine · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. TMagnetic resonance in medicine · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Lisa StoryDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9328-9592
Alena UusDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5796-2145
Megan HallDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2756-6365
Kelly PayetteDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital London, London, UK.
Spyros BakalisFetal Medicine Unit, St Thomas' Hospital London, London, UK.
Tomoki ArichiCentre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital London, London, UK.
Andrew ShennanDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital London, London, UK.
Mary RutherfordCentre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital London, London, UK.
Jana HutterCentre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital London, London, UK.
St Thomas' Hospital · GB

Funding

Structure and function of the placenta from implantation to delivery: a next generation MRI approachU01HD087202 · NICHD · KING'S COLLEGE LONDON · PI ALEXANDER, DANIEL, ALJABAR, PAUL · 2015 to 2015
$3.2M
Medical Research Council MR/N026063/1Medical Research Council MR/T018119/1Medical Research Council MR/V036874/1Medical Research Council MR/W006251/1NICHD NIH HHS U01 HD087202Wellcome Trust 201374/Z/16/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo evaluate changes occurring in the fetal brain prior to very preterm delivery using MRI T2* relaxometry, an indirect assessment of tissue perfusion.

methodFetuses that subsequently delivered spontaneously <32 weeks gestation and a control cohort were identified from pre-existing datasets. Participants had undergone a 3T MRI assessment including T2* relaxometry of the fetal brain using a 2D multi-slice gradient echo single shot echo planar imaging sequence. T2* maps were generated, supratentorial brain tissue was manually segmented and mean T2* values were generated. Groups were compared using quadratic regression.

resultsTwenty five fetuses that subsequently delivered <32 weeks and 67 that delivered at term were included. Mean gestation at MRI was 24.5 weeks (SD 3.3) and 25.4 weeks (SD 3.1) and gestation at delivery 25.5 weeks (SD 3.4) and 39.7 weeks (SD 1.2) in the preterm and term cohorts respectively. Brain mean T2* values were significantly lower in fetuses that subsequently delivered before 32 weeks gestation (p < 0.001).

conclusionAlterations in brain maturation appear to occur prior to preterm delivery. Further work is required to explore these associations, but these findings suggest a potential window for therapeutic neuroprotective agents in fetuses at high risk of preterm delivery in the future.

Indexed as

Premature BirthBrainFemaleFetusHumansInfant, Extremely PrematureInfant, NewbornMagnetic Resonance ImagingPilot Projects

Identifiers

PMID38126921
PMCPMC10952951
OpenAlexW4390062137

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.