Anisotropy in the Human Placenta in Pregnancies Complicated by Fetal Growth Restriction

Paddy J. Slator*, Alison Ho, Spyros Bakalis, Laurence Jackson, Lucy C. Chappell, Daniel C. Alexander, Joseph V. Hajnal, Mary Rutherford, Jana Hutter

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference paperpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The placenta has a unique structure, which enables the transfer of oxygen and nutrients from the mother to the developing fetus. Abnormalities in placental structure are associated with major complications of pregnancy; for instance, changes in the complex branching structures of fetal villous trees are associated with fetal growth restriction. Diffusion MRI has the potential to measure such fine placental microstructural details. Here, we present in-vivo placental diffusion MRI scans from controls and pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction. We find that after 30 weeks’ gestation fractional anisotropy is significantly higher in placentas associated with growth restricted pregnancies. This shows the potential of diffusion MRI derived measures of anisotropy for assessing placental function during pregnancy.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAnisotropy Across Fields and Scales
EditorsEvren Özarslan, Thomas Schultz, Eugene Zhang, Andrea Fuster
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages263-276
Number of pages14
ISBN (Print)9783030562144
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021
EventWorkshop on Visualization and Processing of Anisotropy in Imaging, Geometry, and Astronomy, 2018 - Dagstuhl, Germany
Duration: 28 Oct 20182 Nov 2018

Publication series

NameMathematics and Visualization
ISSN (Print)1612-3786
ISSN (Electronic)2197-666X

Conference

ConferenceWorkshop on Visualization and Processing of Anisotropy in Imaging, Geometry, and Astronomy, 2018
Country/TerritoryGermany
CityDagstuhl
Period28/10/20182/11/2018

Keywords

  • Anisotropy
  • Diffusion
  • Fetal growth restriction
  • Microstructure
  • MRI
  • Placenta
  • Pregnancy
  • Villous trees

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Anisotropy in the Human Placenta in Pregnancies Complicated by Fetal Growth Restriction'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this