Retrospective Motion Correction for Fetal 4D Flow MRI

Motivation: Maternal breathing and fetal bulk motion frequently limit the utility of fetal 4D flow MRI. Goal(s): To demonstrate the effects of maternal respiratory and fetal bulk motion correction on 4D flow MRI Approach: Prospective undersampled fetal 4D flow data were acquired in two subjects, followed by compressed sensing reconstruction that included maternal respiratory gating and bulk motion correction. Standard SENSE-accelerated 4D flow acquisitions without motion correction (N=22) provided reference for the ability to quantify flow. Results: Comparisons of the motion corrected data to normative performance illustrate the technique’s potential for mitigating motion in fetal 4D flow, with equivalence to standard SENSE accelerated scans. Impact: The proposed sequence and flexible reconstruction workflow provide motion robustness for fetal 4D flow MRI. Further exploration of motion correction techniques has potential to enhance spatial and temporal resolution and to mitigate motion-related errors over extended scanning durations.