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Three dimensional power Doppler of the placenta and its clinical applications

  • Kelly Yamasato EMAIL logo and Ivica Zalud
Published/Copyright: March 17, 2017

Abstract:

The aim of this review is to discuss three dimensional (3D) power Doppler of the placenta and its clinical applications. There is a strong clinical need to develop noninvasive, simple and widely available methods of evaluating in vivo placental function to assess fetal wellbeing. While conventional ultrasound is a proven tool in the evaluation of fetal structural anomalies and health, its ability to assess placental function, especially prior to the onset of fetal compromise, is the subject of ongoing investigation. Three dimensional power Doppler has the ability to detect vascularity and blood flow with greater detail than conventional ultrasound, which has led to its investigation in preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and other placental vascular abnormalities. While more data are needed on the optimal imaging protocol and its predictive ability for clinical outcomes, 3D power Doppler is emerging as a promising new technology that will improve the evaluation of placental function.


Corresponding author: Kelly Yamasato, MFM Fellow and Clinical Instructor, Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Women’s Health, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, 1319 Punahou Street, Suite 824, Honolulu, HI 96826, USA, Tel.: (808) 203-6500, Fax: (808) 955-2174

  1. Author’s statement

  2. Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  3. Material and methods: Informed consent: Informed consent has been obtained from all individuals included in this study.

  4. Ethical approval: The research related to human subject use has complied with all the relevant national regulations, and institutional policies, and is in accordance with the tenets of the Helsinki Declaration, and has been approved by the authors’ institutional review board or equivalent committee.

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Received: 2016-11-17
Accepted: 2017-2-9
Published Online: 2017-3-17
Published in Print: 2017-8-28

©2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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