Work

Head to head: Comparing intracranial volumes using 3D ultrasound and fetal MRI

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE(S): Recent advances in fetal three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) enable automated intracranial volume (ICV) measurements. If US yields results comparable to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it could serve as a fast, cost-effective, and scalable alternative. This study directly compares and visualizes ICV measurements from fetal 3D US and 3D MRI. STUDY DESIGN: We applied automated ICV segmentation to US and MRI data from healthy participants. In a subset of fetuses who underwent both US and MRI within 24 h, we evaluated ICV agreement using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). As a proof of principle, we also generated a multimodal ICV trajectory incorporating fetal US, fetal MRI, and neonatal MRI. RESULTS: scores of 0.900-0.925. Mean ICV values were 80 ± 12 ml around 22 weeks (US), 248 ± 28 ml around 30 weeks (US), 294 ± 36 ml around 32 weeks (fetal MRI) and 508 ± 51 ml around 43 weeks (neonatal MRI). CONCLUSION(S): Fetal US and MRI yield comparable ICV measurements around 30 weeks of gestation, validating automatic 3D US volumetric methods. The use of 3D US may support development of normative curves and improve comparisons with at-risk fetuses, including in regions where fetal MRI is less accessible.

Source: NeuroImage

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121633