ISMRM Workshop on

Unlocking the Potential of Prenatal MRI

Advances in Fetal Brain, Heart & Placenta Imaging

calendar_month

08-10 October 2025

location_on

Children's National Research &
Innovation Campus
Washington, DC, USA

Organizers

Co-Chairs:
Mehdi Hedjazi Moghari, Ph.D.
Catherine Limperopulos, Ph.D.

Details Coming Soon!

Declarations & Supporters

Faculty declarations will be available approximately two weeks before the workshop begins.

Registration & Travel

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Attendee Code of Conduct

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Overview & Program

Workshop Overview

This workshop aims to establish a shared vision for the future of fetal MRI to image the fetal brain, heart, and placenta, as well as exploring the steps necessary for its integration into clinical practice. Key topics will include how to compensate for fetal bulk motion and heart motion; novel 3D reconstruction methods for anatomical imaging of the fetal brain, heart, and placenta; and other novel methods such as fetal 4D flow, T2 mapping to estimate oxygen delivery, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the fetal brain and placenta. From a clinical perspective, the workshop will address issues around prenatal brain growth and development in fetuses with either intrauterine growth restriction or congenital heart diseases, as well as broader discussions regarding the practical implementation of these methods and potential benefits in clinical practice.

The workshop program will consist of invited scientific presentations, submitted papers, and panel discussions. The scientific sessions are organized into themes and are followed by expert-led discussions led by both Ph.D. and M.D. leaders in the field, offering both scientific and clinical perspectives on the topics at hand. These sessions have been carefully designed to be interdisciplinary and to bring together researchers and clinicians working in the field of fetal MRI.

Educational Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Target Audience

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the fetal brain, heart, and placenta have seen rapid development over the last 5-10 years with a host of new methods, protocols, and post-processing tools now successfully implemented by various centers around the word. This workshop is specifically designed for MRI scientists, including Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members; clinicians such as neurologists, cardiologists, radiologists, and surgeons; as well as MRI technologists and nonprofit and academic institutions interested in improving fetal MRI and integrating it into clinical practice.

This workshop is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of participants and provide valuable information and opportunities for learning, collaboration, and growth. It is specifically designed to benefit the following groups:

Preliminary Program

Day 1 - Wednesday, 08 October 2025

07:00

Registration & Speaker Upload Available

08:00

Welcome

T.B.A.

Session 1: Fetal Brain Imaging: Current Trends in Motion Correction, Image Acquisition & Reconstruction

Moderators: T.B.A.

08:15

Motion Correction in Fetal Brain MRI: Techniques & Results

T.B.A.

08:40

Automated Segmentation & Analysis of the 3D Fetal Brain Imaging

T.B.A.

09:05

Functional MRI of the Fetal Brain

T.B.A.

09:30

Characterizing Normal Fetal Brain Development with MRI

T.B.A.

09:55

Break & Speaker Upload Available

Session 2: Role of Diffusion MRI in Fetal Brain Imaging

Moderators: T.B.A.

10:25

Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Fetal Brain: Principles, Potential & Limitations of Promising Technique

T.B.A.

10:50

Reproducibility of In-Utero Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Fetal Brain

T.B.A.

11:15

Development of Human White Matter Pathways In Utero

T.B.A.

11:40

Fetal MRI Studies of Animal Models of Neurodevelopmental Disease

T.B.A.

12:05

FetalGAN: Automated Segmentation of Fetal Functional Brain MRI Using Deep Generative Adversarial Learning & Multi-Scale 3D U-Net

T.B.A.

12:30

Lunch & Speaker Upload Available

Session 3: Fetal Cardiac MRI: Current Status & Challenges for Implementation in Clinical Practice

Moderators: T.B.A.

14:00

Technical Challenges of Fetal Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

T.B.A.

14:25

Motion Mitigation & Compensation in Fetal Cardiac MRI

T.B.A.

14:50

Fetal Cardiac MRI in Clinical Practice: Is It Helpful?

T.B.A.

15:15

Different Cardiac Gating Techniques for Fetal Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

T.B.A.

15:40

Challenges of 4D Flow MRI for Fetal Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

T.B.A.

16:30

Poster Session

17:30

Networking Reception

19:30

Adjourn

Day 2 - Thursday, 09 October 2025

07:00

Registration & Speaker Upload Available

Session 4: 2D, 3D, & 4D Imaging in Fetal Cardiac MRI

Moderators: T.B.A.

08:00

Real-Time Imaging in Fetal Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

T.B.A.

08:25

New Developments in 3D Fetal Cardiac MRI

T.B.A.

08:50

3D+ Time Imaging of the Fetal Heart: Techniques & Potential Applications

T.B.A.

09:15

Can Fetal Cardiac MRI Complement Echocardiography

T.B.A.

09:40

Break & Speaker Upload Available

Session 5: Development & Physiology of the Placental in Health & Disease

Moderators: T.B.A.

10:10

Human Placental Development & Disease

T.B.A.

10:35

Hemodynamics of the Human Placenta In Utero

T.B.A.

11:00

Fetal Cardiovascular Physiology in Placenta Dysfunction

T.B.A.

11:25

The Influence of the Placenta on Late Cardiovasuclar Health

T.B.A.

11:50

The Power of Imaging: Real-Time MRI Insights into Placenta Morphology & Functionality

T.B.A.

12:15

Placental Imaging Using Elastography & Diffusion-Weighted Imaging

T.B.A.

12:40

Lunch & Speaker Upload Available

Session 6: Imaging the Developing Placenta: Current Techniques & Future Directions

Moderators: T.B.A.

14:10

Placental Imaging: The Limits of Ultrasound Assessment

T.B.A.

14:35

Optimizing Placental MRI: Conventional Imaging Techniques

T.B.A.

15:00

New Technologies & Innovations for Imaging in Pregnancy

T.B.A.

15:25

Innovations in Placental MRI: Pushing the Boundaries of Imaging Technology

T.B.A.

15:50

Placenta Development in Fetuses with Congenital Heart Disease

T.B.A.

16:45

Poster Session

17:45

Adjourn

Day 3 - Friday, 10 October 2025

07:00

Registration & Speaker Upload Available

Session 7: The Influence of Fetal Congenital Heart Disease on the Developing Brain

Moderators: T.B.A.

08:00

Fetal Brain Development in Congenital Heart Disease: What Do We Know?

T.B.A.

08:25

Prenatal Brain Injury in Congential Heart Disease: Potential Mechanisms & Implications

T.B.A.

08:50

The Relationship Between Structural Brain Abnormalities & Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in CHD

T.B.A.

09:15

Quantifying the Effects of Fetal CHD on Cerebral Oxygen Delivery Using MRI

T.B.A.

09:40

Break & Speaker Upload Available

Session 8: The Brain-Heart-Placenta Axis in Fetuses with Congenital Heart Disease

Moderators: T.B.A.

10:20

Translating Novel Prenatal Imaging Methods into Better Outcomes for Patients with CHD

T.B.A.

10:45

Neuroplacentology in Congenital Heart Disease: Placental Connections to Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

T.B.A.

11:10

Putting it All Together: A Comprehensive Exam-Card for MRI of the Placenta, Fetal Heart & Brain

T.B.A.

11:35

Fetal Brain & Placental MRI Findings in Pregnancies Complicated by Fetal CHD

T.B.A.

12:00

Closing Ceremony

T.B.A.

Boxed Lunch & Adjourn