Reduced Fetal Cerebral Oxygen Consumption Is Associated With Smaller Brain Size in Fetuses With Congenital Heart Disease

BACKGROUND: Fetal hypoxia has been implicated in the abnormal brain development seen in newborns with congenital heart disease (CHD). New magnetic resonance imaging technology now offers the potential to investigate the relationship between fetal hemodynamics and brain dysmaturation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured fetal brain size, oxygen saturation, and blood flow in the major vessels of the fetal circulation in 30 late-gestation fetuses with CHD and 30 normal controls using phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging and T2 mapping. Fetal hemodynamic parameters were calculated from a combination of magnetic resonance imaging flow and oximetry data and fetal hemoglobin concentrations estimated from population…