北卡羅萊納州Chapel Hill的北卡羅萊納州大學醫院的研究人員分析了29例妊娠期間腹痛女性。在這其中28例患者都得以正確診斷，有1例例外是卵巢扭轉（卵巢扭曲），在另外1例患者得以正確鑒別。

總計14例不同腹痛原因使用MRI得以診斷，包括闌尾炎、卵巢囊腫、出血和胰腺炎。根據研究人員的說法，在妊娠患者中診斷腹痛原因是一項困難的工作。

這項研究的作者之一Richard C. Semelka醫生說：“診斷過程十分復雜，因為擴大的妊娠子宮擠壓腹腔器官離開正常位置，因此疼痛不再通常的位置。同時疼痛原因很多，不僅包括與妊娠無關的疾病，還包括與妊娠相關和僅僅在妊娠時候的發生的疾病。”

根據這項研究，CT通常用于診斷腹痛，但是相當大的放射劑量輸送給胎兒，不僅導致胎兒還導致母親癌癥發生率的升高。超聲波檢查沒有放射危險，但是檢查結果局限于某些疾病。

Semelka醫生說：“使用MRI檢查妊娠患者最大好處是象超聲波一樣，不僅對發育中的胎兒而且對目前都是十分安全的，而且檢測子宮和子宮外疾病精確性極高，這是CT或者超聲無法比擬的。”

MRI: Safe Diagnosis for Pregnant Women with Abdominal Pain

For the study, the researchers from University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, analysed the MR images of 29 pregnant patients who had been experiencing acute abdominal pain. In 28 of those cases, the correct diagnosis was made, the one exception being a case of ovarian torsion (twisting of the ovary), which was correctly identified in another of the patients.

A total of 14 different causes for the abdominal pain were diagnosed on MRI, including appendicitis, ovarian cysts, haemorrhage and pancreatitis. According to the researchers, diagnosing acute abdominal pain in pregnant patients can be a difficult task.

"Diagnosis is complicated since the enlarged pregnant uterus pushes organs out of their normal locations, so that pain is not in the usual place. Also, there are more possible causes for pain, including not only non-pregnancy associated diseases, but conditions more common in pregnancy and conditions unique to pregnancy," said Richard C. Semelka, MD, one of the authors of the study.

According to the study, CT is normally used for diagnosing abdominal pain, but a considerable dose of radiation is conferred to the foetus and can increase cancer risks in both the foetus and the mother. Sonography, which is safe from radiation, is limited in what it can reveal for diagnosis.

"The most compelling aspects about using MRI for evaluating pregnant patients are that it's safe, like ultrasound, both for the developing foetus and the mother and it has a high accuracy for detecting uterine and extra-uterine diseases that is unmatched by either CT or ultrasound," said Dr. Semelka.