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The use of image fusion in prenatal medicine
Author(s) -
Millischer AnneElodie,
BrasseurDaudruy Marie,
Mahallati Houman,
Salomon Laurent J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/pd.5558
Subject(s) - positron emission tomography , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , image fusion , modality (human–computer interaction) , radiology , medical physics , medical imaging , ultrasound , modalities , computer science , artificial intelligence , image (mathematics) , social science , sociology
Fusion imaging (FI), the simultaneous display of the same anatomical region using two imaging modalities, has been used in other areas of medicine for both diagnosis and guiding interventions. Examples include positron emission tomography‐computed tomography (PET‐CT) imaging in oncology and ultrasound‐magnetic resonance imaging (US‐MRI) fusion in biopsies of the prostate gland. The underlying principle is to take advantage of the complementary information in each modality to improve accuracy, be it diagnostic accuracy or targeting accuracy in biopsies. For example, PET‐CT overlays the metabolic activity of lesions on the superb spatial and anatomical detail of CT. While the historical mainstay of fetal imaging has been ultrasound, advances in ultrafast MR imaging together with advances in fetal MRI over the past two decades, have resulted in the opportunity to explore fusion imaging in fetal medicine. We present an overview of the principles of US‐MRI fusion imaging in prenatal medicine, report our local experience, and review the literature in this emerging area. We share our perspective on how FI can improve diagnostic confidence, be used as an educational tool, and potentially enhance guidance in certain fetal procedures.