In a World First, German Doctors Capture MRI Images of Live Childbirth
New View of Childbirth The baby's head is shown just before crowning. Charité - University Medicine Berlin For the first time, doctors have imaged a live birth using a special MRI machine, hoping to illuminate the birthing process and understand how complications may develop. The mother and baby - who was born Nov. 20 - are both doing fine, according to doctors at Berlin's Charité hospital, who announced the results today. The mother agreed to give birth inside the MRI machine, which was specially designed to be larger than the typical narrow cylinder. She still had to wear earmuffs to block out the high-frequency noise, as CNET points out. To protect the baby's hearing, the machine was shut off just before the amniotic sac opened. Everything went smoothly and doctors were able to watch the first stages of birth in 3-D. Previous scanners and probes have not been able to provide...