Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation of Fetal Neural Tube Defects

Spinal dysraphism occurs early in gestation because of an abnormality in the closure of the neural tube. Defects can be classified as open or closed lesions based on clinical and imaging features. Biochemical evaluation and ultrasound studies are used as screening tools for neural tube defects. Ultrasound alone can accurately diagnose most neural tube lesions. Magnetic resonance imaging has increasingly been used as an adjuvant study and is useful in the assessment of the degree of hindbrain herniation and evaluation of the fetal brain and spinal cord anatomy when ultrasound is limited. This additional information can be useful in counseling, helping to determine if fetal surgery is an option as well as helping to plan delivery and postnatal management.