# Assessment of placental perfusion and oxygenation using novel MRI approaches.

> **NIH NIH R01** · CHILDREN'S RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 2020 · $625,168

## Abstract

Early in pregnancy migration of trophoblast cells to the lumen of the spiral arteries leads to 5-10 fold terminal
dilation of the arteries, thereby increasing blood flow through the placenta. Placental insufficiency is associated
with failure of this conversion of the spiral arteries, and results in the most common complications of pregnancy
such as fetal growth restriction (FGR) and preeclampsia (PE). In the management and treatment of
pregnancies complicated by placental insufficiency, early and reliable detection is critical, because by the time
placental dysfunction becomes evident, the pathological changes to the fetus or mother are irreversible.
Numerous approaches have been suggested for identifying placental insufficiency in utero. Particularly, there have
been various MRI-based methods proposed to measure placental function. However, all of prior studies deployed
standard imaging schemes of brain MRI without significant optimization for the placenta or used the methods that
are not very sensitive to placental abnormalities. Over the past several years, we have advanced dedicated MRI
techniques for placental-specific perfusion and oxygenation measures using velocity-selective arterial spin labeling
(VSASL) and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), and have demonstrated promising results in our
preliminary data. In this study, we will first optimize placental VSASL at 3 T for improved signal-to-noise ratio and
image quality (aim 1). We will then apply our approaches of placental VSASL and QSM in pregnancies diagnosed
with FGR or PE and healthy pregnancies to determine differences in placental perfusion and oxygenation between
FGR/PE and controls (aim 2). Lastly, we will validate our MR imaging methods by comparing in-vivo placental
measures against placental pathology and clinical outcomes (aim 3). Successful completion of this project will
determine the association between placental insufficiency and altered in-vivo placental perfusion/oxygenation
measurements. Ultimately, this will develop early and reliable biomarkers of placental health and disease, and will
assist in developing and assessing new interventional approaches aimed to improve pregnancy outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9989882
- **Project number:** 5R01HD100012-02
- **Recipient organization:** CHILDREN'S RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Zungho Zun
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $625,168
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-07 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9989882

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9989882, Assessment of placental perfusion and oxygenation using novel MRI approaches. (5R01HD100012-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9989882. Licensed CC0.

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