Abstract
The purpose of this review is to explain how diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is used
during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams in pregnant patients for specific maternal
indications, including evaluation of acute pelvic pain, adnexal masses, cancer diagnosis
and staging, and morbidly adherent placenta. While ultrasound is often the appropriate
initial imaging for evaluating a pregnant patient, MRI can be helpful when a pelvic
ultrasound is indeterminate. MRI has advantages in that it does not use ionizing radiation
and has shown no known deleterious effects to the fetus. The use of gadolinium-based
contrast is controversial during pregnancy. DWI is a functional sequence performed
during an MRI exam, which is valuable in the absence of gadolinium contrast, and can
increase the visibility of inflammation, abscesses, and tumors. Case examples will
be presented to demonstrate the utility and added value of DWI over conventional anatomic
T1- and T2-weighted imaging in diagnosis of maternal disease in the pregnant patient's
pelvis.
Keywords
magnetic resonance imaging - diffusion-weighted imaging - pregnancy - pelvic pain
- adnexal mass - cancer - placenta
