[Experience with nuclear medical placenta perfusion diagnosis]

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Obstetrics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Placental perfusion is critical for fetal well-being.
• Assessing placental function in high-risk pregnancies is essential for timely intervention.
• Non-invasive imaging techniques aid in evaluating placental hemodynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of placenta perfusion studies using 113mIn-chloride scintigraphy.
• To establish normal values for placental perfusion parameters in high-risk pregnancies.
• To assess the correlation between placental perfusion and gestational age.

Main Methods:

• 105 high-risk pregnant females (17-48 years, 27-42 weeks gestation) underwent placental perfusion imaging.
• 113mIn-chloride was used as a radiotracer, administered intravenously.
• Sequential scintigraphy was performed using a gamma camera and a PDP 11/10 computing system.
• Placental perfusion was quantified by analyzing the half-time of the ascending limb of the placenta curve.

Main Results:

• Normal values for the half-time of the ascending limb were determined: 19 ± 3.4 seconds (manual analysis) and < 1.8 seconds (automated analysis).
• The study demonstrated the feasibility of assessing placental perfusion in high-risk pregnancies.
• The method provides objective data on placental blood flow dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Placenta perfusion scintigraphy with 113mIn-chloride is a valuable tool for evaluating placental function in high-risk pregnancies.
• The established normal values can serve as a reference for clinical interpretation.
• Further research may explore the predictive value of these perfusion parameters for pregnancy outcomes.