Influence of Maternal Position on Fetal Organ Oxygenation using Low Field MR

Motivation: Maternal supine sleeping position in the third trimester has been linked to decreased uterine blood flow and increases in stillbirth. Goal(s): To investigate the impact of maternal position on fetal and placental T2* values by taking advantage of the increased dynamic T2* range at low field strengthsApproach: We acquired dynamic whole uterus multi-echo gradient echo sequences at 0.55T with the subject in both left lateral and supine positions and compare the T2* placental and fetal body organ values organs in 91 subjects. Results: Significant differences in mean T2* values were observed between both positions in the placenta and 7 fetal body organs. Impact: Maternal position significantly impacts mean placental and fetal body T2* values. In addition, future quantitative fetal T2* studies should consider maternal position in their study design.