THE CAPABILITIES OF MRI IN STUDYING FORMATION OF THE FETAL BRAIN

Differential diagnosis of normal and pathological development of the fetal brain in accordance with gestational period is an actual problem of prenatal medicine. The basic brain structures of the fetus, including gyrus and sulcus are forming during the pregnancy, such processes as lamination and myelination of white matter starts. The paper analyzed the diagnostic capabilities of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the sequence of formation of sulcus and gyrus of the fetal brain at various stages of its development, shows the value of the method in assessing maturation of white matter. Prenatal MRI data were compared to ultrasound and postmortem studies.