title: Quantitative assessment of placental vasculature and placental volume in normal pregnancies with the use of 3D Power Doppler.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to determine reference values for placental vascular indices and placental volume according to gestational age.
  
  
  METHODS
  The assessment of placental vascular indices and placental volume using 3D Power Doppler and the Virtual Organ Computer-aided Analysis (VOCAL) technique was performed on 100 normal fetuses between 22 and 41 weeks of gestation. In this study the method of the individual setting of the power Doppler gain value was used. Only patients with entirely visualized placenta were included in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No statistically relevant difference in the values of placental vascular indices and placental volume between different localizations of the placenta was detected. No statistically significant changes to placental vascular indices depending on gestational age were found. It enabled to determine the 10th, 50th and 90th percentile values for the vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI), vascularization-flow index (VFI), which are independent of gestational age. No correlation was found between placental volume and placental vascular indices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The values of placental vascular indices are constant between the 22nd and 41st week of a normal pregnancy. Placental volume measured with the use of the VOCAL program increases between 22nd and 41st week of a normal pregnancy. In a normal pregnancy the placental vasculature increases adequately to the increase of its volume. The method of the individual setting of the power Doppler gain value makes it possible to achieve comparable values of placental vascular indices regardless of the distance between the probe and the placenta.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland. Electronic address: pomorski.md@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pomorski
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Florjanski
authors.affiliation: Jan Mikulicz-Radecki University Hospital, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pomorska
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomialowicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Milnerowicz-Nabzdyk
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D021041:Placental Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal
keywords: Placental vascularization; Placental volume; Three-dimensional Power Doppler