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Cortical Maturation in Normal and Abnormal Fetuses as Assessed with Prenatal MR Imaging

¹ Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215 (D.L.)
² Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass (P.D.B.).

View larger version (166K): [in a new window]   Figure 1. Coronal half-Fourier RARE MR image (TE, 60 msec) of a fetal brain at 18 weeks gestation. A cavum septum pellucidum (arrow) is seen. Note the wide sylvian fissures (arrowheads). The sylvian fissure begins as a shallow depression at 14 weeks gestation and subsequently becomes grooved.

View larger version (87K): [in a new window]   Figure 2a. Sagittal half-Fourier RARE MR images (TE, 60 msec) of a fetus at 26 weeks gestation. (a) Slightly oblique and off-midline view shows the corpus callosum (arrows), massa intermedia (m), and parieto-occipital fissure (arrowhead). (b) Slightly lateral to a, a smooth cerebral surface, along with the early appearance of the precentral (arrow 1) and central (arrow 2) sulci, is depicted. The central sulcus is a landmark of 20 weeks gestation, and the precentral sulcus is a landmark of 24 weeks gestation. (Reprinted, with permission, from reference 20.)

View larger version (80K): [in a new window]   Figure 2b. Sagittal half-Fourier RARE MR images (TE, 60 msec) of a fetus at 26 weeks gestation. (a) Slightly oblique and off-midline view shows the corpus callosum (arrows), massa intermedia (m), and parieto-occipital fissure (arrowhead). (b) Slightly lateral to a, a smooth cerebral surface, along with the early appearance of the precentral (arrow 1) and central (arrow 2) sulci, is depicted. The central sulcus is a landmark of 20 weeks gestation, and the precentral sulcus is a landmark of 24 weeks gestation. (Reprinted, with permission, from reference 20.)

View larger version (146K): [in a new window]   Figure 3a. Sagittal half-Fourier RARE MR images (TE, 60 msec) of a fetal brain at 30 weeks gestation. (a) The cingulate sulcus (white arrows), parieto-occipital fissure (thin black arrow), and calcarine fissure (thick black arrow) are seen. p = pons. (Reprinted, with permission, from reference 21.) (b) Slightly lateral to a, the precentral (arrow 1), central (arrow 2), and postcentral (arrow 3) sulci are seen. (c) Further lateral to a, the superior temporal sulcus (arrowhead) is seen.

View larger version (144K): [in a new window]   Figure 3b. Sagittal half-Fourier RARE MR images (TE, 60 msec) of a fetal brain at 30 weeks gestation. (a) The cingulate sulcus (white arrows), parieto-occipital fissure (thin black arrow), and calcarine fissure (thick black arrow) are seen. p = pons. (Reprinted, with permission, from reference 21.) (b) Slightly lateral to a, the precentral (arrow 1), central (arrow 2), and postcentral (arrow 3) sulci are seen. (c) Further lateral to a, the superior temporal sulcus (arrowhead) is seen.

View larger version (142K): [in a new window]   Figure 3c. Sagittal half-Fourier RARE MR images (TE, 60 msec) of a fetal brain at 30 weeks gestation. (a) The cingulate sulcus (white arrows), parieto-occipital fissure (thin black arrow), and calcarine fissure (thick black arrow) are seen. p = pons. (Reprinted, with permission, from reference 21.) (b) Slightly lateral to a, the precentral (arrow 1), central (arrow 2), and postcentral (arrow 3) sulci are seen. (c) Further lateral to a, the superior temporal sulcus (arrowhead) is seen.

View larger version (156K): [in a new window]   Figure 4. Coronal half-Fourier RARE MR image (TE, 60 msec) of a fetal brain at 35 weeks gestation. The corpus callosum (arrowheads) is seen as a dark band above the cavum septum pellucidum (c). The insular cortex (arrows) is still relatively smooth. In histopathologic specimens, insular gyri are seen at 32–35 weeks gestation.

View larger version (131K): [in a new window]   Figure 5a. Sagittal half-Fourier RARE MR images (TE, 60 msec) of a fetal brain at 37 weeks gestation. (a) Just lateral to the midline, the pons (p) and cerebellum (c) are well seen. This image demonstrates secondary frontal sulci (arrowheads) and gyri (arrows), which are landmarks of 32–35 weeks gestation. (b) Lateral to a, the temporal sulci (arrows) are seen separating the superior (s), middle (m), and inferior (i) temporal gyri.

View larger version (122K): [in a new window]   Figure 5b. Sagittal half-Fourier RARE MR images (TE, 60 msec) of a fetal brain at 37 weeks gestation. (a) Just lateral to the midline, the pons (p) and cerebellum (c) are well seen. This image demonstrates secondary frontal sulci (arrowheads) and gyri (arrows), which are landmarks of 32–35 weeks gestation. (b) Lateral to a, the temporal sulci (arrows) are seen separating the superior (s), middle (m), and inferior (i) temporal gyri.

View larger version (154K): [in a new window]   Figure 6a. (a) Axial and (b) sagittal half-Fourier RARE MR images (TE, 60 msec) of a fetal brain with mild ventriculomegaly (V) at 22 weeks gestation. The interhemispheric (long arrow in a) and sylvian (short arrow in a) fissures are seen, but the sulcal landmarks of 16–19 weeks gestation (ie, the circular, calcarine, parieto-occipital, and cingulate sulci) and of 20–23 weeks gestation (ie, the central and superior temporal sulci) are not seen.

View larger version (148K): [in a new window]   Figure 6b. (a) Axial and (b) sagittal half-Fourier RARE MR images (TE, 60 msec) of a fetal brain with mild ventriculomegaly (V) at 22 weeks gestation. The interhemispheric (long arrow in a) and sylvian (short arrow in a) fissures are seen, but the sulcal landmarks of 16–19 weeks gestation (ie, the circular, calcarine, parieto-occipital, and cingulate sulci) and of 20–23 weeks gestation (ie, the central and superior temporal sulci) are not seen.

View larger version (142K): [in a new window]   Figure 7. Sagittal half-Fourier RARE MR image (TE, 60 msec) of a fetus with a large encephalocele (solid arrow) at 22 weeks gestation. None of the normal fissures or sulci are seen. The open arrow indicates pleural effusion.