Change in T2* measurements of placenta and fetal organs during Braxton Hicks contractions

Esra Abaci Turk; Jeffrey N Stout; Henry A Feldman; Borjan Gagoski; Cindy Zhou; Rubii Tamen; Mary Katherine Manhard; Elfar Adalsteinsson; Drucilla J Roberts; Polina Golland; P Ellen Grant; William H Barth Jr

doi:10.1016/j.placenta.2022.08.011

Change in T2* measurements of placenta and fetal organs during Braxton Hicks contractions

Placenta. 2022 Oct:128:69-71. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2022.08.011. Epub 2022 Aug 29.

Affiliations

¹ Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: esra.abaciturk@childrens.harvard.edu.
² Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁴ Department of Radiology,Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁵ Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
⁶ Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
⁷ Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
⁸ Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

Abstract

Maternal-placental perfusion can be temporarily compromised by Braxton Hicks (BH) uterine contractions. Although prior studies have employed T2* changes to investigate the effect of BH contractions on placental oxygen, the effect of these contractions on the fetus has not been fully characterized. We investigated the effect of BH contractions on quantitative fetal organ T2* across gestation together with the birth information. We observed a slight but significant decrease in fetal brain and liver T2* during contractions.

Keywords: Braxton-Hicks contraction; Fetal organ T2*; Placental MRI; Placental T2*; T2* mapping.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Female
Fetus
Humans
Oxygen
Placenta*
Pregnancy
Uterine Contraction*
Uterus

Substances

Oxygen

Change in T2* measurements of placenta and fetal organs during Braxton Hicks contractions

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

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