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Assessment of cortical maturation with prenatal MRI. Part I: normal cortical maturation

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Abstract

Cortical maturation, especially gyral formation, follows a temporospatial schedule and is a good marker of fetal maturation. Although ultrasonography is still the imaging method of choice to evaluate fetal anatomy, MRI has an increasingly important role in the detection of brain abnormalities, especially of cortical development. Knowledge of MRI techniques in utero with the advantages and disadvantages of some sequences is necessary, in order to try to optimize the different magnetic resonance sequences to be able to make an early diagnosis. The different steps of cortical maturation known from histology represent the background necessary for the understanding of maturation in order to be then able to evaluate brain maturation through neuroimaging. Illustrations of the normal cortical maturation are given for each step accessible to MRI for both the cerebral hemispheres and the posterior fossa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Résonance Magnétique Biologique et Médicale, Faculté Timone, Marseille, France

    Céline Fogliarini

  2. Department of Neuroradiology, Hôpital Timone, 264, rue Saint Pierre, 13385, Marseille Cedex 5, France

    Frédérique Chapon, Olivier Lévrier & Nadine Girard

  3. Department of Radiology, Hopital Nord, Marseille, France

    Katia Chaumoitre

  4. Department of Pathology, Hopital Timone, Marseille, France

    Carla Fernandez & Dominique Figarella-Branger

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  1. Céline Fogliarini
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  2. Katia Chaumoitre
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  3. Frédérique Chapon
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  5. Olivier Lévrier
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  6. Dominique Figarella-Branger
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  7. Nadine Girard
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Correspondence to Nadine Girard.

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Fogliarini, C., Chaumoitre, K., Chapon, F. et al. Assessment of cortical maturation with prenatal MRI. Part I: normal cortical maturation. Eur Radiol 15, 1671–1685 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2782-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2782-1

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