Magnetic resonance imaging of postmortem infant brains

In order to obtain postmortem magnetic resonance images of infant brains, the formalin-fixed brains of 37 infants, ranging in age from 17 days to 17 months, were studied. Factors that improved scan resolution included formalin fixation, not washing the formalin from the brain, imaging the brain with a thin film of water over it, and the use of an extremity coil. The scan resolution was of sufficient quality to direct the histopathologist to regions requiring microscopic examination and to map the progress of myelination.