Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41843073›Full record

ArticlePediatric radiology2026

Super-resolution MRI-derived brainstem and cerebellar volumes in fetuses between 22 weeks and 32 weeks of gestation.

Matthew Taing, Camilo Calixto, Onur Afacan, Maria Camila Cortes-Albornoz, Suely Fazio Ferracioll, Sergio Valencia, Clemente Velasco-Annis, Simon K Warfield, Camilo Jaimes

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Article in Pediatric radiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Matthew TaingDepartment of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Camilo CalixtoDepartment of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Onur AfacanHarvard Medical School, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.
Maria Camila Cortes-AlbornozDepartment of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Suely Fazio FerraciollDepartment of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Sergio ValenciaDepartment of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. svalenciavasquez@mgh.harvard.edu.
Clemente Velasco-AnnisHarvard Medical School, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.
Simon K WarfieldHarvard Medical School, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.
Camilo JaimesDepartment of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. cjaimescobos@mgb.org.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe posterior fossa undergoes rapid development in utero, yet normative volumetric data are limited, especially during mid-gestation when most fetal MRIs are performed.

objectiveThis study aimed to develop a segmentation method tailored to the fetal posterior fossa and establish normative growth trajectories for key infratentorial structures between 22 weeks and 32 weeks of gestation. MATERIALS AND

methodsEighty-five pregnant women were prospectively recruited at a single institution. Inclusion criteria were normal singleton pregnancies between 19-40 weeks' gestation and maternal age 18-45 years. Exclusion criteria included fetal abnormalities, MRI contraindications, or significant maternal comorbidities. Eighteen fetuses were excluded, resulting in 67 normal fetuses (43 male, 24 female). Imaging was performed at 3 T using multiplanar T2-weighted sequences, reconstructed into isotropic volumes after motion correction and brain extraction. Segmentation labels were created using age-specific atlases from the Developing Human Connectome Project. Expert annotations defined the midbrain, pons, medulla, vermis, and cerebellar hemispheres. Images were registered to the atlases using the Symmetric Normalization (SyN) algorithm, with labels manually verified by a pediatric neuroradiologist. Volumes were normalized to total brain volume and analyzed using linear regression with gestational age and sex as predictors.

resultsAbsolute volumes of all posterior fossa structures significantly increased with gestational age (P<0.001), showing strong linear associations (R

conclusionsThis study provides normative volumetric references for fetal posterior fossa structures between 22-32 weeks' gestation using a novel segmentation method. Absolute growth followed linear patterns, while relative measures revealed sex-specific variations in the vermis and cerebellum. These benchmarks may enhance diagnostic accuracy for detecting posterior fossa anomalies in clinical fetal MRI.

Indexed as

Brain StemCerebellumMagnetic Resonance ImagingPrenatal DiagnosisAdolescentAdultFemaleGestational AgeHumansImaging, Three-DimensionalMaleOrgan SizePregnancyPregnancy Trimester, SecondProspective StudiesReference ValuesBrain developmentBrain stemCerebellumFetusGestational ageImage processing, computer-assistedMagnetic resonance imagingSex characteristics

Identifiers

PMID41843073

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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.