title: Shape matching algorithm to validate the tracing protocol of placental chorionic surface vessel networks.
abstract: Variability in placental chorionic surface vessel networks (PCSVNs) may mark developmental and functional changes in fetal health. Here we report a protocol of manually tracing PCSVNs from digital 2D images of post-delivery placentas and its validation by a shape matching method to compare the similarity between paint-injected and unmanipulated (uninjected and deflated vessels) tracings of PCSVNs. We show that tracings of unmanipulated vessels produce networks that are very comparable to the networks obtained by tracing paint-injected PCSVNs. We suggest that manual tracings of unmanipulated PCSVNs can extract features of PCSVN growth and structure that may impact fetal wellbeing.
authors.affiliation: Placental Analytics, LLC, Larchmont, NY, USA. Electronic address: ruchit.shah27@gmail.com.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Placental Analytics, LLC, Larchmont, NY, USA; Institute for Basic Research, Staten Island, NY, USA. Electronic address: carolyn.salafia@gmail.com.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Salafia
authors.affiliation: Placental Analytics, LLC, Larchmont, NY, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Girardi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Basic Research, Staten Island, NY, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology, NewYork Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Keaty
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology, NewYork Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bartleotc
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002823:Chorion / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000098:blood supply
keywords: Placenta; Placental chorionic surface vessel network (PCSVN); Shape context; Shape matching