Standardised and structured reporting in fetal magnetic resonance imaging: recommendations from the Fetal Task Force of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology.

Abstract

Over the last decades, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a valuable adjunct to prenatal ultrasound for evaluating fetal malformations. Several radiological societies advocate for standardised and structured reporting practices to enhance the uniformity of imaging language. Compared to narrative formats, standardised and structured reports offer enhanced content quality, minimise reader variability, have the potential to save reporting time, and streamline the communication between specialists by employing a shared lexicon. Structured reporting holds promise for mitigating medico-legal liability, while also facilitating rigorous scientific data analyses and the development of standardised databases. While structured reporting templates for fetal MRI are already in use in some centres, specific recommendations and/or guidelines from international societies are scarce in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to propose a standardised and structured reporting template for fetal MRI to assist radiologists, particularly those with less experience, in delivering systematic reports. Additionally, the paper aims to offer an overview of the anatomical structures that necessitate reporting and the prevalent normative values for fetal biometrics found in current literature.