title: Placental perfusion in normal pregnancy and early and late preeclampsia: a magnetic resonance imaging study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our primary aim was to investigate if women with early or late preeclampsia have different placental perfusion compared with normal pregnancies. A secondary aim was to investigate if placental perfusion changes with increasing gestational age in normal pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population included thirteen women with preeclampsia (five with early and eight with late preeclampsia) and nineteen women with normal pregnancy (ten with early and nine with late pregnancy). Early was defined as <34 weeks and late as ≥ 34 weeks gestation. All women underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination including a diffusion weighted sequence at 1.5 T. The perfusion fraction was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with early preeclampsia had a smaller placental perfusion fraction (p = 0.001) and women with late preeclampsia had a larger placental perfusion fraction (p = 0.011), compared to women with normal pregnancies at the corresponding gestational age. The placental perfusion fraction decreased with increasing gestational age in normal pregnancies (p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both early and late preeclampsia differ in placental perfusion from normal pregnant women. Observed differences are however in the opposite direction, suggesting differences in pathophysiology. Placental perfusion decreases with increasing gestational age in normal pregnancy.
authors: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: sara.sohlberg@kbh.uu.se.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Sohlberg
authors: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: ajlana.lutvica@kbh.uu.se.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Mulic-Lutvica
authors: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: peter.lindgren@kbh.uu.se.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Lindgren
authors: Department of Radiology, Oncology and Radiation Science, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: francisco.ortiz-nieto@radiol.uu.se.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Ortiz-Nieto
authors: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: anna-karin.wikstrom@kbh.uu.se.
authors: A-K
authors: AK
authors: Wikström
authors: Department of Radiology, Oncology and Radiation Science, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: johan.wikstrom@radiol.uu.se.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Wikström
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply*; D021041:Placental Circulation; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal
keywords: Early preeclampsia; IVIM; Late preeclampsia; Magnetic resonance imaging; Perfusion; Placenta