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In vivo relaxation time measurements in the human placenta using echo planar imaging at 0.5 T
P A Gowland1, A Freeman, B Issa
1Magnetic Resonance Centre, Department of Physics, University of Nottingham, UK. penny.gowland@nottingham.ac.uk
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
|June 11, 1998
Summary
This study measured nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation times (T1 and T2) in human placentas during pregnancy. Lower T1 and T2 values in compromised pregnancies may indicate placental abnormalities.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Biophysics
Background:
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) relaxation times (T1 and T2) are sensitive to tissue properties.
- Placental function is crucial for fetal development, and its assessment is vital in obstetrics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish in vivo reference ranges for placental T1 and T2 relaxation times in normal human pregnancies.
- To investigate the utility of these NMR parameters in identifying compromised pregnancies.
Main Methods:
- In vivo measurements of T1 and T2 relaxation times were performed at 0.5 Tesla using inversion recovery and spin-echo echo planar imaging (EPI) sequences.
- Data were collected from 41 women with normal pregnancies and 25 women with compromised pregnancies, spanning from 20 weeks gestational age to term.
Main Results:
- In normal pregnancies, T1 and T2 values decreased with increasing gestational age (T1 = -9.1t + 1538, T2 = -4.0t + 338).
- Placentas in compromised pregnancies exhibited significantly lower T1 values compared to normal pregnancies (p = 0.005).
- T2 values in compromised pregnancies showed a trend towards lower values, with some falling outside the 90% confidence interval (p = 0.03).
Conclusions:
- NMR relaxation times T1 and T2 provide valuable quantitative biomarkers for assessing placental health.
- Abnormal T1 and T2 values may serve as indicators of placental compromise in high-risk pregnancies.