David Alberg Peters1, Anne Srensen2, Ernst-Torben Wilhelm Frnd3, Ole Bjarne Christiansen2, Niels Uldbjerg4
1Department of Clinical Engineering, Central Denmark Region, Aarhus N, Denmark; 2Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Aarhus University, Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; 3Department of Radiology, Aarhus University, Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark; 4Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Aarhus N, Denmark
MR is becoming more widely used for prenatal diagnosis, with the main focus being to detect structural changes in the fetus. Recently some groups have explored the use of functional MR in fetuses. These studies have mainly studied the effects in fetal organs in sheep. In this study we present a method for detecting the effects of oxygen breathing in placenta and the initial results from six healthy pregnant women. With further development this method could be used to evaluate placental function and determine the optimum time to deliver growth restricted fetuses.