# Advanced magnetic resonance imaging in human placenta: insights into fetal growth restriction and congenital heart disease

## TL;DR

This review explores how MRI helps understand placental function and its role in fetal growth restriction and heart disease.

## Contribution

The paper highlights novel MRI techniques and their potential to improve clinical outcomes for maternal and fetal health.

## Key findings

- MRI techniques can visualize placental structure and function more effectively.
- MRI aids in diagnosing placental insufficiency and its link to fetal growth restriction and heart disease.
- Multi-parametric MRI may lead to new biomarkers for early disease detection.

## Abstract

Placental function plays a crucial role in fetal development, as it serves as the primary interface for delivery of nutrients and oxygen from the mother to fetus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has significantly improved our ability to visualize and understand the placenta's complex structure and function. This review provides an up-to-date examination of the most common and novel placental MRI techniques. It will also discuss the clinical applications of MRI in diagnosing and monitoring placental insufficiency, as well as its implications for fetal growth restriction (FGR) and congenital heart disease (CHD). Ongoing research using multi-parametric MRI techniques aims to develop novel biomarkers and uncover the relationships between placental parameters and pre-onset diseased states, ultimately contributing to better maternal and fetal health outcomes, which is essential to better guide clinical judgement.