OC14.07: Cortical development in fetal growth restriction: a neuroimaging study

To study the global changes in FGR by automatic segmentation and cortical reconstruction in fetal brain MRI and explore which cortical areas are most affected. Low-resolution 2D MRI T2-Haste scans were acquired and 3D MRI images were generated with a super-resolution reconstruction algorithm. An automated method segmented the brain into white matter (WM), grey matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tissues, and further into 87 regions. After reconstruction, a cortex mesh for each subject was obtained. Cortical thickness, sulcal depth, and curvature were extracted and defined vertex-wise over each mesh. Volumetric and cortical region-based markers were compared correcting for gestational age (GA) and sex. Random field theory correction (RFTC) was applied. We included 50 controls (37.4 ± 0.9 GA) and 50 FGR (37.3 ± 1.2 GA). FGR brains had decreased cortical thickness, (t = -3.6; p < 0.001), total brain volume (t = -3.81; p < 0.001), GM volume (t = -4.23; p < 0.001), WM volume (t = -2.75; p < 0.001), and cortical surface area (t = -2.63; p < 0.01). The left temporal and parietal lobe, and specific areas of the right temporal and frontal lobe, showed increased cortical thickness for controls after RFTC. Cortical changes in FGR can be detected using global and local markers extracted from automated algorithms. Further studies are needed to perform a multivariate cortical surface analysis to detect subtler changes. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.