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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
Published on: February 2, 2015
Ultrasound and MRI in the antenatal diagnosis of schizencephaly
Fawaz Edris1, Ania Kielar, Karen Fung Kee Fung
1Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON.
Background:
Schizencephaly is a brain anomaly that can be associated with severe neonatal morbidity and mortality. Precise antenatal diagnosis is critical to help families make a decision regarding the continuation of pregnancy. A sequence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) called HASTE (Half-Fourier Acquisition Single-Shot Turbo Spin-Echo) has been used prenatally for this purpose.
Case:
We used an additional MRI sequence called true-FISP (True Fast Imaging with Steady-State Precession) to diagnose schizencephaly in a 15-year-old primigravid woman. This sequence has not been previously described in prenatal MRI.
Conclusion:
HASTE sequence provides the grey-white matter differentiation that is necessary to make the diagnosis of grey-matter-lined schizencephaly clefts. True-FISP sequence has potentially higher resolution images because it is not prone to blurring of edges and is less sensitive to flowing fluid movement. Using these two MRI sequences is essential for confirming the diagnosis of schizencephaly and can provide information regarding other commonly associated anatomic anomalies.
