Centro Nacional de Genética Médica de Cuba. La Habana, Cuba
Hospital Ginecobstetrico “Ramón González Coro”. La Habana, Cuba
Hospital Hermanos Ameijeiras. La Habana. Cuba
Hospital Ginecobstetrico “Ramón González Coro”. La Habana, Cuba
Policlínico Docente Federico Capdevila. La Habana, Cuba
Introduction: Although ultrasonography (US) is still the modality of choice in the evaluation of disorders related to pregnancy and the fetus, it has certain limitations. For this reason, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a noninvasive study method, complementary to US, to detect fetal anomalies, allowing a better approach to prognosis and perinatal management.
Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of fetal MRI in the diagnosis of congenital defects in pregnant women attended at the National Prenatal Referral Clinic (CRNP).
Methods: an observational, analytical, longitudinal and prospective study was performed using all cases attended at the CRNP for confirmation of congenital defects (CD), from May 2020 to May 2022, in which it was necessary to complement the ultrasonographic findings with fetal MRI, either due to fetal or maternal conditions that limited the scope of conventional ultrasonography images.
Results: 66 fetal MRI were performed, the most frequent reason for indication was the suspicion of Central Nervous System defects (47%), followed by non-specific abdominal tumors (14%), Respiratory System and SOMA (11%) each and Renal and Digestive System with 8 and 6% respectively. In 16 of the cases the ultrasonographic finding was confirmed without other elements of interest, in 44 cases findings were reported that strongly modified the genetic counseling offered to the families, and in 6 cases the examination was not useful.
Conclusions: MRI is the complement to prenatal ultrasonography that irrefutably strengthens the personalized nature of the genetic counseling offered to parents when a congenital defect is suspected.
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