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Psychological Reactions in Women Undergoing Fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging

From the Departments of ¹Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, ²Neurology, ³Obstetrics and Feto-Maternal Medicine, and ⁴Radiology, Medical University Vienna, Austria.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate women's psychological reactions when undergoing fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to estimate whether certain groups, based on clinical and sociodemographic variables, differ in their subjective experiences with fetal MRI and in their anxiety levels related to the scanning procedure.

METHODS: This study is a prospective cohort investigation of 62 women before and immediately after fetal MRI. Anxiety levels and subjective experiences were measured by questionnaires. Groups based on clinical and sociodemographic variables were compared with regard to anxiety levels and to the scores on the Prescan and Postscan Imaging Distress Questionnaire.

RESULTS: Anxiety scores before fetal MRI were 8.8 points higher than those of the female, nonclinical, norm population (P<.001). The severity of the referral diagnosis showed a linearly increasing effect on anxiety level before MRI (weighted linear term: F_1,59=5.325, P=.025). Magnetic resonance imaging was experienced as unpleasant by 33.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 21.2–46.6%) and as hardly bearable by 4.8% (95% CI 0–17.5%) of the women. Physical restraint (49.9%, 95% CI 37.4–62.4%), noise level (53.2%, 95% CI 40.7–65.7%), anxiety for the infant (53.2%, 95% CI 40.7–65.7%), and the duration of the examination (51.6%, 95% CI 39.1–64.1%) were major distressing factors.

CONCLUSION: Women who undergo fetal magnetic resonance imaging experience considerable distress, especially those with poor fetal prognoses. Ongoing technical developments, such as a reduction of noise, shortening the duration of the MRI, and a more comfortable position in open MRI machines, may have the potential to improve the subjective experiences of women during fetal MRI.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III