Total and regional brain volumes in fetuses with congenital heart disease

Total and regional brain volumes, derived from automatically segmented, motion-corrected, 3D fetal brain MR images were obtained in 45 healthy fetuses and 305 fetuses with isolated congenital heart disease (CHD) in the third trimester. Total brain tissue, cortical and deep grey matter, and white matter volumes are significantly lower in fetuses with CHD where cerebral oxygenation and substrate delivery are likely to be reduced. Brain volumes appear normal in fetuses with CHD but an otherwise expected normal cerebral oxygenation.