Featured Image Credit: iFIND
Topics: Technology, News
Anish Vij
Amazingly clear MRI footage shows a baby casually ‘kicking the sh*t’ out of their mum's organs.
The clip is a result of relatively new technology which sees an agitated 20-week-old foetus quite literally standing up inside the woman's womb, taking free kicks like a professional footballer, causing his mother's belly to wobble.
Take a look below:
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The scan, which reportedly took place in 2017, was recorded by the iFIND project, a London-based group of medical experts.
With the help of a reported £10 million from the Wellcome Trust and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the group used the combination of algorithms, magnetic fields and radio waves to develop new scans with high quality recordings.
The footage is ridiculously real as you can see the whole body of the foetus moving relatively freely while still attached to the umbilical cord.
Dr David Lloyd, Clinical Research Fellow at King's College London and part of the iFIND project, said: "Taking pictures of a 20 week foetus while they're still in the womb really isn't that easy.
"For one thing, they're very small.
"The fetal heart, for example, with all of its tiny chambers and valves, is only about 15mm long: less than the size of penny."
The UK team used ultrasound technology, which helped visualise the 'tiny' foetus, with the help of 'high frequency sound waves which are reflected back from the structures inside the body to produce an image'.
Despite technological advances, not every patient will be able to have access to high quality images of their future baby.
Ultrasound needs to be able to 'see' through parts of the body that are clear enough to picture, which isn't always easy, the doctor explains.
"It will depend on the age of the baby, how they are lying in the womb, the size of the mother, and many other factors," he said.
"MRI, which uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce images, isn't so limited.
"It can see the structures inside the body regardless of whether there's bone, muscle or fat in the way; and in some cases it can give us even more detailed images than ultrasound.
"Importantly, it is also one of the few imaging techniques that is safe to use in pregnancy."
The footage was given to Cathy Ranson, editor of ChannelMum.com, a content site for pregnant mothers.
She said: "Scans are amazing as they help mums, dads and even other family members bond with their baby.
"There is nothing quite as emotional as seeing your unborn child moving inside you, and these MRI scans are taking images to the next level.
"They are truly breathtaking."