Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Radiomics of Axial and Sagittal Orientation in Pregnant Patients with Suspected...

Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Current radiomic analysis of PAS magnetic resonance (MR) images is often performed on a single imaging plane. However, depending on the chosen imaging plane, radiomic features extracted from the same patient may vary due to the differing orientations and anatomical contexts, potentially leading to inconsistent results. In this study, we applied region of interest (ROI)-based radiomic analysis on axial and sagittal MR images in pregnant patients at high risk for PAS. Our objective was to compare MR textural features extracted from these imaging planes and to correlate these findings with surgical outcomes, aiming to enhance the accuracy of PAS diagnosis and treatment planning.

This is a retrospective review of MR images of pregnancies with prenatally suspected PAS. Volumetric placental, uterus, and internal os of the cervix regions of interest (ROI) were manually segmented on axial and sagittal MR images for each patient. Radiomic features were extracted following the image biomarker standardization initiative guideline. Agreement in features extracted from axial and sagittal images were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

Of the 101 pregnant patients that met the study inclusion criteria, 65 underwent cesarean hysterectomy for PAS. 77 percent of the radiomics features had strong Spearman rank correlations (>0.8) between axial and sagittal images, indicating that these imaging planes provide similar radiomics information. The diagnostic performance of features extracted from axial and sagittal planes was quantified under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). We found that axial and sagittal planes have similar performance for the prediction of hysterectomy. Shape elongation, Placental Location within the Uterus (PLU), and heterogeneity features were significant predictors for hysterectomy regardless of the imaging plane.

Our study found that radiomics features extracted from axial and sagittal MR image plane in the same patient have excellent agreement and strong correlation. We identified several features present in both axial and sagittal images that were predictive in detecting PAS-suspected patient who required hysterectomy. These features may represent the underlying placental pathophysiology.