Article contents
Advances in imaging feto-placental vasculature: new tools to elucidate the early life origins of health and disease
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2020
Abstract
Optimal placental function is critical for fetal development, and therefore a crucial consideration for understanding the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD). The structure of the fetal side of the placental vasculature is an important determinant of fetal growth and cardiovascular development. There are several imaging modalities for assessing feto-placental structure including stereology, electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, micro-computed tomography, light-sheet microscopy, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. In this review, we present current methodologies for imaging feto-placental vasculature morphology ex vivo and in vivo in human and experimental models, their advantages and limitations and how these provide insight into placental function and fetal outcomes. These imaging approaches add important perspective to our understanding of placental biology and have potential to be new tools to elucidate a deeper understanding of DOHaD.
- Type
- Review
- Information
- Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , April 2021 , pp. 168 - 178
- Copyright
- © Cambridge University Press and the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2020
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