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• Clinical Article •
MRI study on hippocampal development of intrauterine growth restriction
RUAN Jin  WANG Lei  XIA Xun  DOU Zhibo  ZHENG Huanji  TAN Siping 

DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.11.011.


[Abstract] Objective To investigate the development of bilateral hippocampi in fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) using MRI in the second and third trimester of pregnancy.Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the prenatal MR images of 51 fetuses with growth restriction and 50 normal fetuses who visited the prenatal diagnosis department of our hospital from January 2023 to Februry 2025. Linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between gestational age and the long diameter of the fetal sagittal hippocampus and the hippocampal infolding angle (HIA). The t-test was used to compare the long diameter of the sagittal hippocampus and HIA between the two groups.Results Gestational age was significantly positively correlated with the bilateral sagittal hippocampal long diameter and HIA in the normal group and IUGR group in (the normal group, the right sagittal hippocampal long diameter r = 0.936, P < 0.001; the left sagittal hippocampal long diameter r = 0.901, P < 0.001; the right HIA r = 0.867, P < 0.001; the left HIA r = 0.856, P < 0.001. In the IUGR group, the right sagittal hippocampal long diameter r = 0.807, P < 0.001; the left sagittal hippocampal long diameter r = 0.778, P < 0.001; the right HIA r = 0.786, P < 0.001; the left HIA r = 0.763, P < 0.001). In the normal group, the regression equations between hippocampal longitudinal diameter (Y) and gestational age (X) were: left side, Y = 1.11 + 0.64X (β = 0.901, SE = 0.045, t = 14.388, R2 = 0.812, P < 0.001); right side, Y = 1.96 + 0.69X (β = 0.936, SE = 0.038, t = 18.399, R2 = 0.876, P < 0.001). The regression equations between HIA (Y) and gestational age (X) were: left side, Y = 53.13 + 0.54X (β = 0.856, SE = 0.047, t = 11.447, R2 = 0.812, P < 0.001); right side, Y = 52.57 + 0.59X (β = 0.867, SE = 0.049, t = 12.074, R² = 0.752, P < 0.001). In the IUGR group, the regression equations between hippocampal longitudinal diameter (Y) and gestational age (X) were: left side, Y = 4.72 + 0.39X (β = 0.778, SE = 0.045, t = 8.660, R2 = 0.605, P < 0.001); right side, Y = 6.14 + 0.37X (β = 0.807, SE = 0.038, t = 9.579, R2 = 0.652, P < 0.001). The regression equations between HIA (Y) and gestational age (X) were: left side, Y = 55.88 + 0.40X (β = 0.763, SE = 0.049, t = 8.273, R2 = 0.605, P < 0.001); right side, Y = 56.71 + 0.41X (β = 0.786, SE = 0.046, t = 8.911, R2 = 0.618, P < 0.001). The mean hippocampal longitudinal diameters in the normal group were (19.698 ± 2.075) mm (right) and (19.006 ± 2.002) mm (left), while those in the IUGR group were (17.941 ± 1.284) mm (right) and (17.186 ± 1.408) mm (left). The differences between groups were statistically significant (right: t = 5.104, P < 0.001; left: t = 5.273, P < 0.001). The mean HIA values in the normal group were (71.018 ± 1.907)° (right) and (70.008 ± 1.769)° (left), while in the IUGR group they were (69.958 ± 1.480)° (right) and (68.911 ± 1.499)° (left). These intergroup differences were also statistically significant (right: t = 3.113, P = 0.002; left: t = 3.362, P = 0.001).Conclusions The size of the hippocampus and HIA in IUGR fetuses change with gestational age, there are differences in the hippocampal development of IUGR fetuses and that of normal fetuses. MRI can provide imaging diagnostic support for hippocampal development abnormalities in IUGR.
[Keywords] intrauterine growth restriction；fetus；hippocampal；magnetic resonance imaging；hippocampal infolding angle

RUAN Jin1   WANG Lei1   XIA Xun2   DOU Zhibo1   ZHENG Huanji1   TAN Siping1*  

1 Department of Radiology, Shenzhen Nanshan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen 518000, China

2 Department of Prenatal Diagnosis, Shenzhen Nanshan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen 518000, China

Corresponding author: TAN S P, E-mail: tan-yang@126.com

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2025-08-06
Accepted  2025-10-25
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.11.011
DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.11.011.

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