Determining cervical ripeness and labor outcome: the efficacy of magnetic resonance T2 relaxation times.

Objective: To determine whether the magnetic resonance assessment of cervical water content using the T2 relaxation time correlated with cervical ripening, as evidenced by the time to onset of spontaneous labor, need for induction, and the incidence of cesarean delivery in women whose pregnancy reached 41 weeks of gestation.

Methods: The cervical T2 relaxation time was calculated from magnetic resonance data obtained in a previous study of magnetic resonance pelvimetry. After consent was obtained, the patients underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol consisting of a dual fast spin echo T2-weighted scan.

Use of sagittal images for localization of the subthalamic nucleus. Technical note.

Direct observation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is not always possible, and physicians at many centers rely on indirect methods that relate the position of the STN to more easily recognized structures such as the red nucleus (RN). In this paper the authors describe an indirect method of viewing the STN based on the anatomy depicted on sagittal magnetic resonance (MR) images. A review of sagittal slices appearing in standard stereotactic atlases showed that the STN lies within the angle formed by the descending internal capsule (IC) and the substantia nigra (SN).

MR-guided catheter navigation of the intracranial subarachnoid space.

Percutaneous intraspinal navigation (PIN) is a new minimally invasive approach to the CNS. The authors studied the utility of MR-guided intracranial navigation following access to the subarachnoid compartment via PIN. The passive tracking technique was employed to visualize devices during intracranial navigation.