Structured reporting in fetal magnetic resonance imaging with congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Objective: We aim to provide a template structured report of fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) that was locally validated by the CDH study group in Mannheim.

Methods: A selection of 50 fetal MRIs of patients with an isolated diaphragmatic hernia and associated radiology reports from five different senior radiologists from a single center resulted in a primary structured report, which was put into practice by using dedicated software. A questionnaire survey of the interdisciplinary CDH study group Mannheim was used to adapt the report to the clinical requirements.

Results: There was a huge variability in how deep the free text reports go into detail. The side of the hernia was named in 94% of cases. In 58%, both the lung volume and the total lung volume were reported. A comparison with the expected lung volume was reported in 66% of cases. Additional findings, such as herniated organs, were reported in 96% of cases. Overall satisfaction with the newly established structured report was high within the CDH study group with a mean of 4.7.

Conclusions: The use of the structured report of this study can optimize the interdisciplinary dialog, the standardization of report content, increase report completeness and improve quality.