David J LOMAS1, Rebecca HAWKES1, Andrew N PRIEST1, Nicholas HILLIARD1, Andrew PATTERSON1, Pat SET1, and Martin J GRAVES1
Non-invasive measurement of uterine blood flow (UBF) during
pregnancy is desirable to assess fetal well-being but difficult using Doppler
ultrasound. This work demonstrates an MR method of identifying the uterine
arteries in 31 early 3rd trimester normal human pregnancies and quantifying absolute UBF using
cine phase contrast. Results are comparable with other methods for quantifying
flow and demonstrate a correlation with actual birthweight. The method has potential for future UBF monitoring during pregnancy.