Measuring the effects of placental contractions on placental blood flow using a combined T2* and 1D quantitative flow sequence

Motivation: Placental contractions have been observed previously in utero using MRI, where the placenta appears to squeeze tightly, but their purpose is poorly understood. Goal(s): The goal of this work was to use a dynamic T2* and quantitative flow sequence to investigate the effects of placental contractions on blood flow within the organ. Approach: We scanned 9 women who had a placental contraction during acquisition, which we used quantitative flow maps to investigate how the velocity changed. Results: During a contraction the blood flow within the placenta slows, as the placenta relaxes the blood velocity increases, implying they are related to blood flow. Impact: This work is the first analysis of how a placental contraction affects the blood flow within the placenta, and indicates that they do alter the flow of blood within the organ.