Artificial Amniotic Fluid for NMR Spectroscopy Studies

Amniocentesis is the process of retrieving the nutrient-rich amniotic fluid (AF) that encompasses the growing fetus in order to diagnose fetal diseases and developmental disorders. Currently, it is only performed on pregnant persons at-risk, and is invasive with potential for infection and in some cases, miscarriage. A non-invasive alternative is needed and could be developed using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). To develop such MRS sequences, ample testing and training are needed and could be most efficiently conducted on a phantom. We propose a protocol for synthetic AF that could be used for creating such AF phantom for MRS testing and optimization. The proposed AF is validated using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) proving it produces spectra comparable to those in the literature. The results from this study can aid in developing a non-invasive fetal diagnostic tool to replace amniocentesis.