{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T22:37:13Z","timestamp":1773095833343,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,24]],"date-time":"2021-08-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1629763200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,24]],"date-time":"2021-08-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1629763200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMC Med Imaging"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Current clinical post-mortem imaging techniques do not provide sufficiently high-resolution imaging for smaller fetuses after pregnancy loss. Post-mortem micro-CT is a non-invasive technique that can deliver high diagnostic accuracy for these smaller fetuses. The purpose of the study is to identify the main predictors of image quality for human fetal post-mortem micro-CT imaging.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Human fetuses were imaged using micro-CT following potassium tri-iodide tissue preparation, and axial head and chest views were assessed for image quality on a Likert scale by two blinded radiologists. Simple and multivariable linear regression models were performed with demographic details, iodination, tissue maceration score and imaging parameters as predictor variables.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>258 fetuses were assessed, with median weight 41.7\u00a0g (2.6\u2013350\u00a0g) and mean gestational age 16\u00a0weeks (11\u201324\u00a0weeks). A high image quality score (&gt;\u20096.5) was achieved in 95% of micro-CT studies, higher for the head (median\u2009=\u20099) than chest (median\u2009=\u20098.5) imaging. The strongest negative predictors of image quality were increasing maceration and body weight (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u2009&lt;\u20090.001), with number of projections being the best positive imaging predictor.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>High micro-CT image quality score is achievable following early pregnancy loss despite fetal maceration, particularly in smaller fetuses where conventional autopsy may be particularly challenging. These findings will help establish clinical micro-CT imaging services, addressing the need for less invasive fetal autopsy methods.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12880-021-00658-5","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,24]],"date-time":"2021-08-24T05:04:18Z","timestamp":1629781458000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Micro-CT yields high image quality in human fetal post-mortem imaging despite maceration"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Ian Craig","family":"Simcock","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Susan Cheng","family":"Shelmerdine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Dean","family":"Langan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Guy","family":"Anna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Neil James","family":"Sebire","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Owen John","family":"Arthurs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"658_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"791","DOI":"10.1007\/s00431-018-3135-9","volume":"177","author":"LJP Sonnemans","year":"2018","unstructured":"Sonnemans LJP, Vester MEM, Kolsteren EEM, Erwich JJH, Nikkels PGJ, van Rijn RR, et al. 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NRES Committee London \u2013 Camberwell St Giles approved all experimental protocols and these were used in accordance the Declaration of Helsinki and conformed to our Institutional guidelines. Written informed parental consent was obtained for post-mortem imaging.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"All data has been anonymised prior to analysis.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare that they have no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"128"}}