Parental magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of fetuses with brain anomalies.
Stephanie Libzon, Michal Gafner, Dorit Lev and 5 others
PMID 39259028WHAT IT FOUND
When a fetus had a brain anomaly similar to a parent's MRI, the child usually developed typically.
This was especially true for isolated corpus callosum issues. Parents of fetuses with these 'concordant' findings were more likely to continue the pregnancy.
Key findings
01MRI-Trio was concordant in 25 cases (41.7%) and discordant in 35 (58.3%).
02When MRI-Trio was concordant, most of the children (19 out of 25) had typical neurodevelopment.
03Children with concordant MRI-Trio and isolated disorders of the corpus callosum, periventricular pseudocysts, malformations of cortical development, and anomalies of the anterior complex developed typically at a median age of 24 months.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was retrospective and had a small sample size (60 pregnancies). Neurodevelopmental assessments were not standardized; they relied on unstructured evaluations or telephone interviews. Follow-up was mostly limited to 24 months, so subtle cognitive or language deficits appearing later in childhood were not captured. There is a potential selection bias, as MRI-Trio was often offered when similar anomalies appeared in previous pregnancies or family members.
Declared interests
The authors stated they had no conflicts of interest. There was no direct funding for this study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all fetal brain anomalies with a parental match are benign. The study notes that variable penetrance can occur, meaning a child may present with more severe symptoms than the parent, even if the MRI looks similar. This is especially true for multiple brain anomalies.