ABSTRACT
The clinical use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) today has its roots in atomic physics in the first part of this century. In 1924, the Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli first suggested the concept of “nuclear spin”, the intrinsic spinning motion demonstrated by the nuclei of some atoms. The major limitation of MRI in obstetrics is the length of time taken to obtain an image; this may be up to 12 min, and distortion is caused by fetal movement in that time. In addition, MRI can provide much clearer images in patients with oligohydramnios. The lack of amniotic fluid works to detriment of ultrasound scanning, but works to the benefit of MRI. The diagnosis of intrauterine growth retardation is traditionally made on clinical examination, in combination with ultrasound. Depletion of fetal body fat is known to occur earlier than reduced body size in intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). The greatest diagnostic use in IUGR will be in the development of phosphorous spectroscopy.
