Abstract: A method or system for imaging and quantifying placental blood perfusion using magnetic resonance image. The method or system provides a noninvasive means of assessing placental function and oxygenation from T2* images without the administration of an exogenous contrast agent. The method or system provides quantitative information regarding the number and spatial distribution of perfusion domains which subdivide the placenta into functional units where oxygen transport occurs, along with estimates of fetal oxyhemoglobin concentration, descriptors of placental oxygen reserve, and parameters representing the facility with which oxygen transport from the maternal to fetal vasculature occurs.

Abstract: A method for imaging and quantifying placental blood perfusion using magnetic resonance imaging is disclosed. The method provides a noninvasive means of assessing placental function and oxygenation from T2* images without the administration of an exogenous contrast agent. The method provides quantitative information regarding the number and spatial distribution of perfusion domains which subdivide the placenta into functional units where oxygen transport occurs, along with estimates of fetal oxyhemoglobin concentration, descriptors of placental oxygen reserve, and parameters representing the facility with which oxygen transport from the maternal to fetal vasculature occurs.