Publications by authors named "Maria Chiara Marra"
Objective: To investigate midbrain growth, including corpus callusum (CC), cerebellar vermis (CV) and cortical development in late fetal growth restriction (FGR) depending on uterine artery (UtA) Pulsatility Index (PI) values.
Methods: This was a prospective study including singleton fetuses with late FGR characterized by abnormal cerebral placental ratio (CPR). According to UtA PI values, the FGR fetuses were subdivided into normal ≤95th centile) and abnormal (>95th centile).
Objectives: To investigate midbrain growth, including corpus callusum (CC) and cerebellar vermis (CV) and cortical development in late fetal growth restricted (FGR) subclassified according to the umbilical vein blood flow (UVBF) values.
Methods: This was a prospective study on singleton fetuses late FGR with abnormal placental cerebral ratio (PCR). FGR fetuses were further subdivided into normal (≥fifth centile) and abnormal (
Objectives: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) carries an increased risk of neurocognitive impairment in offsprings. However, the contribution of maternal hyperglycemia in affecting fetal brain development is not fully elucidated yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate fetal brain and sulci development in pregnancies complicated by GDM.
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- The study aimed to assess how fetal sex influences cortical development in low-risk pregnancies and to analyze the effect of gestational age on this development.
- A secondary analysis was conducted on 344 fetuses (173 males, 171 females), measuring various fissure depths via neurosonography between 19 and 34 weeks of gestation, taking fetal head size into account.
- Findings revealed that male fetuses exhibited greater depth in specific brain fissures after 28 weeks, indicating that gender-related developmental differences become significant later in pregnancy.
Objectives: To develop charts for fetal brain cortical structures following a proposed standardized methodology and using quantile regression.
Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study including 344 low-risk singleton pregnancies between 19 and 34 weeks of gestation. The depth of Sylvian (SF), Parieto-occipital (POF) and Calcarine fissures (CF) were measured on ultrasound images using a standardized technique and their changes were evaluated by quantile regression as a function of gestational age (GA) interval or head circumference (HC).
Objective: Develop charts for cavum septum pellucidi (CSP) following a standardized methodology and using quantile regression. The secondary objective was to assess the influence of fetal gender on the generated reference curves.
Methods: In a cross-sectional prospective study 453 low-risk singleton pregnancies were evaluated at a gestational age interval between 18 and 34 weeks.
Objective: This study was aimed to test the agreement between a manual and an automatic technique in measuring fetal brain volume (FBV) from three-dimensional (3D) fetal head datasets.
Methods: FBV were acquired independently by two operators from low risk singleton pregnancies at a gestational age between 19 and 34 weeks. FBV measurements were obtained using an automatic software (Smart ICV™) and manually by Virtual Organ Computer-aided AnaLysis (VOCAL™).
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement between visual and automatic methods in assessing the adequacy of fetal cardiac views obtained during second trimester ultrasonographic examination.
Methods: In a prospective observational study frames of the four-chamber view left and right outflow tracts, and three-vessel trachea view were obtained from 120 consecutive singleton low-risk women undergoing second trimester ultrasound at 19-23 weeks of gestation. For each frame, the quality assessment was performed by an expert sonographer and by an artificial intelligence software (Heartassist™).