Direct Measurement of Fetus Water Dynamics Using 17O-MRI

Motivation: Water circulation disorders during pregnancy may affect both fetus and maternal health. Unfortunately, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown, in part because there is no imaging technique that can non-invasively visualize the water dynamics. Goal(s): Establish a non-invasive method to directly observe fetus water dynamics using Oxygen-17 MRI. Approach: Pregnant mice were administered 17O-labeled water and 17O-MRI was conducted to evaluate whether fetus water dynamics could be directly visualized. Results: Fetal water dynamics was successfully observed with 17O-MRI. Impact: This is the first report of a direct, non-invasive method that has successfully observed fetus water dynamics.