Introduction This study presents the first direct investigation of fetal brain activity in utero using fMRI. Human fetal brain activity is usually studied indirectly by monitoring the changes in fetal heart rate and associated fetal movements, although recently fetal MEG has been attempted’. fMRI offers a safe and relatively robust method of monitoring fetal brain activity. This has major impli...

We present two cases of postmaturity-related perinatal mortality with delivery at 42 weeks 6 days' and 44 weeks' gestation, respectively. No cause beyond postmaturity was found. Neither induction of labour nor foetal monitoring had been performed despite these gestations going post 41 weeks because of a current 'social obstetrics' phenomenon--non-local expectant mothers coming to Hong Kong from...

The use of continuous intrapartum electronic fetal heart rate monitoring (EFM) using a cardiotocograph (CTG) was developed to enable obstetricians and midwives to analyse the changes of fetal heart rate during labour so as to institute timely intervention to avoid intrapartum hypoxic-ischaemic injury. Although CTG was initially developed as a screening tool to predict fetal hypoxia, its positiv...

Understanding the physiologic and endocrinologic basis of fetal development is a major goal of perinatal biology. During the past decade a number of technological developments have allowed more precise evaluation of the fetus in utero and diagnosis of abnormalities. Despite these methodological achievements, however, there are no specific biological markers currently available to indicate that ...

The monitoring of fetal heart rate (FHR) status is an important method to check well-being of the baby during labor. Since the electronic FHR monitoring was introduced 40 years ago, it has been expected to be an innovative screening test to detect fetuses who are becoming hypoxic and who may benefit from cesarean delivery or operative vaginal delivery. However, several randomized controlled tri...