Objective To explore the imaging quality of different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences in prenatal diagnosis in order to provide reference for clinical MRI diagnosis of fetus.Methods A total of 42 women in mid-to-late pregnancy on whom ultrasound examination had showed abnormality in fetus received MRI examination by use of single shot fast spin echo (SSFSE) sequences and fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) sequences to observe the fetal organ anatomical structure for diagnosis,with surgical follow-up and induction and autopsy results as the gold standard for diagnosis;and then,the diagnosis results,specific absorption rate (SAR) and image quality were compared.Results The correct diagnosis rate of SSFSE and FIESTA sequences were 83.33% and 90.48%,respectively,with no significant difference (P > 0.05);the SAR value for FIESTA sequences (2.79 ± 0.08)w/kg was higher than that for SSFSE sequences (2.60 ± 0.21)w/kg,with significant difference (P < 0.05) but the value changes were relatively stable;the image quality score for FIESTA sequences (1.57 ± 0.14) was significantly higher than that for SSFSE score (1.43 ± 0.35) (P < 0.05);the image respiratory artifacts for SSFSE sequences is more obvious,and the display effects for liquid were worse than that for FIESTA sequences.Conclusion SSFSE and FIESTA sequences are effective means of MRI examination to observe the fetal anatomy and abnormal lesions,but the imaging quality of FIESTA sequences is better than that of the SSFSE sequences,so FIESTA sequences are more ideal in the diagnosis on fetal disease.