Anatomy

Background and aims. The cerebellum (“little brain”), the largest part of hind brain, lies in the posterior cranial fossa, beneath the occipital lobe and dorsal to the brainstem. It develops over a long period: it is one of the first structures in the brain to begin to differentiate, but one of the last to mature. The use of ultrasonography has significantly improved the evaluation of fetal growth and development and has permitted prenatal diagnosis of a variety of congenital malformations.The aim of our study was to evaluate the cerebellar growth and development using 2 different measuring techniques: microMRI and ultrasound technique. The cerebellum measurements were related to gestational age.Methods. We used 14 human fetuses corresponding to 15-28 gestational weeks, immersed in a 9% formalin solution. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was performed by employing a Bruker BioSpec 70/16USR scanner (Bruker BioSpin MRI GmbH, Ettlingen, Germany), operated at 7.04 Tesla for cerebellar v...

  Aims. A very good knowledge of human embryology is mandatory not only for the correct sonographic assessment of the developing brain, but also for better understanding the origins of congenital anomalies involving the central nervous system. 3D transvaginal sonography may be an effective technique for imaging the developing brain. The aims of this explorative study are to demonstrate the feasibility of imaging the embryonic brain between 7 and 10 weeks of gestation for clinical studies by using a 3D high-frequency vaginal ultrasound transducer and to provide a reference for the morphology of the brain in the embryonic period.Materials and methods. Four embryos of 9 mm, 17 mm, 23 mm and 31 mm crown-rump length respectively were assessed in vivo by transvaginal sonography. We gave a special attention to the embryonic brain. All patients were examined with a Voluson E10, BT 15 ultrasound scanner (GE Healthcare, Zipf, Austria), using a high-frequency 6-12 MHz/ 256-element 3D/4D transv...

  Aims. A very good knowledge of human embryology is mandatory not only for the correct sonographic assessment of the developing brain, but also for better understanding the origins of congenital anomalies involving the central nervous system. 3D transvaginal sonography may be an effective technique for imaging the developing brain. The aims of this explorative study are to demonstrate the feasibility of imaging the embryonic brain between 7 and 10 weeks of gestation for clinical studies by using a 3D high-frequency vaginal ultrasound transducer and to provide a reference for the morphology of the brain in the embryonic period.Materials and methods. Four embryos of 9 mm, 17 mm, 23 mm and 31 mm crown-rump length respectively were assessed in vivo by transvaginal sonography. We gave a special attention to the embryonic brain. All patients were examined with a Voluson E10, BT 15 ultrasound scanner (GE Healthcare, Zipf, Austria), using a high-frequency 6-12 MHz/ 256-element 3D/4D transv...

Background and aim: Understanding organ morphogenesis gives insight into the mechanisms of congenital anomaly development. The magnetic resonance techniques are powerful tools for obtaining detailed morphological data of embryos. The aim of our paper is to conduct a morphological descriptive study of the developing brain of embryos at two Carnegie stages by using anatomical examination along with micro-magnetic resonance imaging. Material and methods: Two embryos ranging in Carnegie stages 16 and 21 respectively were assessed by anatomical observation and by 7 Tesla micro-magnetic resonance imaging. Results: We describe the morphological characteristics of the developing brain of the two embryos. The increased spatial resolution makes possible the acquisition of high quality micro-magnetic resonance images. The accurate details of the embryonic brain are reported. Conclusions: Studies of embryology are still needed for a complete understanding of the developing organs. Micro-magneti...