Abstract #4696

Free-breathing 3D quantitative susceptibility and T2* mapping of the human placenta: Initial experience in healthy pregnancies

Zungho Zun^1,2,3,4 and Catherine Limperopoulos^1,2,3,4

¹Division of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States, ²Division of Fetal and Transitional Medicine, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States, ³Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States, ⁴Department of Radiology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is an emerging imaging technique for measuring magnetic susceptibility of tissue, and may have the potential for depicting hypoxia, hemorrhage, and calcification of the placenta. In this study we demonstrate simultaneous acquisition for QSM and T2* mapping of the human placenta using a 3D multi-echo gradient echo sequence with maternal free breathing. Compared to T2-weighted images, both QSM and T2* maps demonstrate more lobulated contrast in the placenta with lower susceptibility and higher T2* values within the lobules. This is the first study to investigate QSM of the human placenta in vivo.

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