The Effects of Hemodynamic Alterations on Lung Volumes in Fetuses with Tetralogy of Fallot: An MRI Study.

This study assessed whether the presence of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) affects fetal lung development and whether these fetuses are at risk of pulmonary hypoplasia (PH). Furthermore, we investigated whether the degree of the concomitant pulmonary valve (PV) stenosis or a stenosis in the branch pulmonary arteries correlates with the fetal lung volume. Lung volumetry was performed in 16 fetuses with TOF who underwent MRI between gestational weeks 21 and 35 and in 22 controls.

Magnetic field interactions of copper-containing intrauterine devices in 3.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging: in vivo study.

Objective: An ex vivo study found a copper-containing intrauterine device (IUD) to be safe for women undergoing an MRI examination at a 3.0-T field. No significant artifacts caused by the metallic implant were detected.

Are fetuses with isolated echogenic bowel at higher risk for an adverse pregnancy outcome? Experiences from a tertiary referral center.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the risk of poor perinatal outcome in normal karyotype second-trimester fetuses with the sonographic finding of isolated echogenic bowel.

Method: Medical records, ultrasonographic findings and outcome details were reviewed for 97 cases of isolated fetal echogenic bowel, after excluding cases of aneuploidy and major congenital anomalies, and compared with a cohort of 400 fetuses without pathologic intra-abdominal findings.

Results: The incidence of echogenic bowel during the 14-year study period was 0.

Quantification of the subcutaneous fat layer with MRI in fetuses of healthy mothers with no underlying metabolic disease vs. fetuses of diabetic and obese mothers.

Objective: To assess the age-dependent fetal subcutaneous fat layer (SCFL) of non-diabetic, normal-weight mothers and fetuses of mothers with gestational diabetes (GDM) and normal body weight or obesity.

Methods: In a prospective study, we evaluated 115 MRI examinations of fetuses with no history of (maternal) metabolic disease [gestational week (GW) 29 to 39/40] and 50 examinations of mothers with GDM and normal body weight or obesity. The SCFL was measured at predetermined anatomical landmarks.

The effect of low-dose simvastatin in children with familial hypercholesterolaemia: a 1-year observation.

Unlabelled: Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a severe disorder of lipid metabolism associated with an enhanced risk to develop cardiovascular disease later in life, with atherosclerotic lesions beginning already in childhood. These are facts which make an early diagnosis and therapy necessary to prevent or delay such complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of low-dose simvastatin, a potent HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, in children and adolescents with FH.