Placenta microstructure and microcirculation imaging with diffusion MRI.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To assess which microstructural models best explain the diffusion-weighted MRI signal in the human placenta.

Methods

The placentas of nine healthy pregnant subjects were scanned with a multishell, multidirectional diffusion protocol at 3T. A range of multicompartment biophysical models were fit to the data, and ranked using the Bayesian information criterion.

Results

Anisotropic extensions to the intravoxel incoherent motion model, which consider the effect of coherent orientation in both microvascular structure and tissue microstructure, consistently had the lowest Bayesian information criterion values. Model parameter maps and model selection results were consistent with the physiology of the placenta and surrounding tissue.

Conclusion

Anisotropic int

SUBMITTER: Slator PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5947291 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature