Ultraschall Med 2007; 28 - V_3_5
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-988916

Doppler sonographic quantification of placental perfusion with a new software based technique

T Scholbach 1, J Konje 2, B Huppertz 3
  • 1Children's Hospital „St. Georg“, Pediatrics, Leipzig, Germany
  • 2University of Leicester, Reproductive Sciences Section, Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine, Leicester, United Kingdom
  • 3Medical University Graz, Institute of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Center of Molecular Medicine, Graz, Austria

Objective: Placental function depends on optimal perfusion. Here we present a new method – the PixelFlux-technique – a non-invasive automatic Power Doppler sonographic parenchymal perfusion measurement to quantify differences between perfusion from the maternal versus the fetal side of the placenta.

Patients and methods: Power Doppler sonographic videos of anteriorly and centrally located placentae from 22 women with normal outcome of pregnancy at various gestational ages were recorded under defined conditions. Tissue perfusion intensity in four placental compartments was calculated as product of Doppler amplitude and perfused area encoded by Power Doppler signals. Results were calculated as percentage of maximum possible perfusion of 100%.

Results: Without regard of gestational age there were significant differences of placental perfusion intensities in the uterine wall (6.60%), maternal flow within the intervillous space (2.39%), fetal flow in chorionic villi (1.59%) and the chorionic plate (9.30%). In the uterine wall and the chorionic villi there was a continuous increase of perfusion intensity over gestation.

Conclusion: Placental perfusion was quantified non-invasively from Power Doppler signal data in an easily accomplishable manner with a new software-based measurement procedure (PixelFlux, Chameleon-Software, Germany). Significant perfusion differences exist between placental compartments. In further studies this technique should help to define pathological perfusion patterns in pathologies such as intrauterine growth retardation.