University of Sheffield say MRI scans should be used on pregnant women to spot brain defects

December 15, 2016

Ultrasounds are already used to look inside the womb to check baby’s growth
But when they detect problems, an MRI could lead to a more accurate diagnosis
Experts now recommend the scans to become ‘routine practice’ in pregnancy
Researchers made the findings after studying 570 pregnancy abnormalities

Zara Rubin For Mailonline

Published:
06:43 EST, 15 December 2016

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Updated:
06:45 EST, 15 December 2016

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MRI scans should be offered to some pregnant women to help spot brain defects, scientists claim.

Ultrasounds are already used to look inside the womb and check that the baby is developing properly.

But when they detect potential abnormalities, a new study shows that then being given an MRI leads to a more accurate diagnosis.

Experts now suggest that the scans, which are better able to detect brain or heart problems, should become routine practice.

MRI scans should be offered to some pregnant women to help spot brain defects, scientists claim. MRI scans are better able to detect abnormalities than ultrasounds, given at 20 weeks

Researchers from the University of Sheffield studied 570 women whose pregnancy ultrasound detected a problem.

Giving them an MRI scan within the following two weeks increased the accuracy of the diagnosis of defects to 93 per cent.

Relying on the ultrasound alone, however, led to a correct diagnosis in only two-thirds of cases, the study published in The Lancet found.

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By examining babies after birth or after they have died, they were able to confirm the accuracy of the diagnosis.

Lead researcher Professor Paul Griffiths said: ‘This study is the first of its kind and has shown that adding an MRI scan when a problem is detected provides additional information to support parents making decisions about their pregnancy.

‘Based on our findings we propose that an MRI scan should be given in any pregnancy where the foetus may have a suspected brain abnormality.’

Experts now recommend the scans to become routine practice, as it is believed abnormalities are detected in three in every 1,000 pregnancies and can result in miscarriage or still birth

Pregnant women are offered an ultrasound scan between 18 and 20 weeks that can spot abnormalities like spina bifida, cleft lip, and heart and brain defects.

Brain abnormalities are detected in three in every 1,000 pregnancies, it is believed.

If the brain fails to develop properly it can result in miscarriage or still birth.

Couples are generally offered counselling and some choose to have an abortion.

The new study found that extra tests were the most useful in cases where doctors were uncertain of the outcome.

About 95 per cent of pregnant women said the scan was helpful and would have it again if there were concerns on the ultrasound.

Another finding was that the number of abortions increased from 25 per cent using only the ultrasound to make the decision to 36 per cent with the extra MRI scan.