Following up on our recent reports about a baby born in the MRI, now we have news, and some amazing moving images, of a pair of twins moving around in the womb while being captured on MRI. NewScientist is reporting on this project of the Robert Steiner MR Unit at Imperial College London, where the team is using so-called cinematic MRI to study twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, in which one of the twins receives more than his or her usual share of blood at the cost of the other’s blood supply. Although treatment for this condition is available, much about it is still unknown.
The researchers use cine-MRI to determine the effects of twin-twin transfusion on the fetal brains. They have already scanned 24 pairs of twins, and in some cases differences in brain volume were found using MRI which were not found using ultrasound. With the technique, the researchers hope to learn more about twin development and to be able to predict developmental problems antenatally. Imperial College London is actively recruiting pregnant women carrying twins for further imaging studies.