The fetus at term: in utero volume-selected proton MR spectroscopy with a breath-hold technique--a feasibility study.

In three healthy gravidas at 38 and 39 weeks gestation, fetal MR spectroscopy was performed with a breath-hold technique by using the following pulse sequences: single voxel point-resolved spectroscopy, or PRESS, for liver and heart studies and stimulated-echo acquisition mode, or STEAM, for brain studies. Signal peaks of lipid from heart and liver were detected, as were the signal peaks of choline, creatine, and N-acetylaspartate from fetal brain. Findings demonstrated the feasibility of performing proton MR spectroscopy to assess mobile fetal structures.