TY - JOUR
T1 - Intervillous blood flow in the third trimester gravid rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)
T2 - Use of sonographic contrast agent and harmonic imaging
AU - Ragavendra, N.
AU - Tarantal, Alice F
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - A properly implanted and functioning placenta is essential for the normal outcome of pregnancy. As pregnancy advances, an increasing supply of maternal blood, which reaches the intervillous space of the placenta via the spiral arteries, is necessary for continued growth and development of the fetus. Presumably, deficient blood flow to the intervillous space can lead to placental ischaemia and an unfavourable outcome, such as pre-eclampsia. In this study, we used a primate model, where echocontrast-enhanced harmonic imaging was utilized to demonstrate placental intervillous blood flow without visualization of fetal blood circulation within the chorionic villi. We propose that this technique, which requires further assessment of efficacy and safety prior to use in humans, is a potentially useful non-invasive clinical tool for assessing intervillous blood flow in the third trimester of pregnancy.
AB - A properly implanted and functioning placenta is essential for the normal outcome of pregnancy. As pregnancy advances, an increasing supply of maternal blood, which reaches the intervillous space of the placenta via the spiral arteries, is necessary for continued growth and development of the fetus. Presumably, deficient blood flow to the intervillous space can lead to placental ischaemia and an unfavourable outcome, such as pre-eclampsia. In this study, we used a primate model, where echocontrast-enhanced harmonic imaging was utilized to demonstrate placental intervillous blood flow without visualization of fetal blood circulation within the chorionic villi. We propose that this technique, which requires further assessment of efficacy and safety prior to use in humans, is a potentially useful non-invasive clinical tool for assessing intervillous blood flow in the third trimester of pregnancy.
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U2 - 10.1053/plac.2000.0605
DO - 10.1053/plac.2000.0605
M3 - Article
C2 - 11170824
AN - SCOPUS:0034974314
VL - 22
SP - 200
EP - 205
JO - Placenta
JF - Placenta
SN - 0143-4004
IS - 2-3
ER -