Subclinical uterine contractions in the third trimester have been detected with MRI in recent years and we regularly observe these contractions in 10 minute longitudinal scans. In a small pilot study, single echo-planar imaging T2* weighted scans and associated quantitative susceptibility maps suggest that the uterine contractions are localised to the placenta and that the placenta is more oxygenated after the contraction. We hypothesise that the contractions have the function of mixing of blood in the placenta to aid transport through what is otherwise a low flow system.
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