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Scientific Publication Citing Dragonfly

Ex vivo magnetic resonance angiography to explore placental vascular anatomy

Bailiang Chen (1,2), Jie Duan (1,3), Anne-Claire CHABOT-LECOANET (1,3), Huanrong Lu (1), Romain Tonnelet (4), Oliver Morel (1,3), Marine Beaumont (1,2)
Placenta, 58, August 2017: 40-45. DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2017.08.002

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Keywords

Ex vivo MRA, Human placenta, Vascularization morphology, Contrast agent, Morphology characterization

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Abstract

A normal placenta development is crucial for a successful pregnancy. In case of major obstetric complications such as intra-uterine growth restriction, the placental vascularization morphological alteration at macroscopic level is less known than that at microscopic scale. Ex vivo MRA has the potential to visualize whole fresh human placental vasculature fast and efficiently but can be hampered by contrast agent extravasation problem. This study aimed to provide an optimized ex vivo MRA protocol to acquire understanding of global human placenta vasculature morphology.

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How Our Software Was Used

By using routine image processing steps, including greyscale thresholding and morphological operations, the data was segmented into the base aluminum material, silicon particles, and voids. After the segmentation step, the binarized images were loaded into the particle analyzer module to derive quantitative information such as total volume and size distribution of the silicon particles and voids. The software also enables grouping and fragmented analysis of the image data. The histogram tool enables a user to efficiently select a subset of particles based on certain characteristics and perform analysis on the chosen group. Additionally, the integration of the 3D visualization and quantitative analysis module enable 3D rendering of the overlaid quantified data.

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Author Affiliation

(1) IADI Inserm U947, Lorraine University, 4 Rue Du Morvan, 54500, Vandoeuvre lès Nancy, France.
(2) CIC-IT Nancy, Inserm CIC1433, 4 Rue Du Morvan, 54500, Vandoeuvre lès Nancy, France.
(3) Regional Maternity of University of Nancy, 10 Rue Heydenreich, 54000, Nancy, France.
(4) The Neurointerventional Department, CHRU of Nancy, 54000, Nancy, France.

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