Placenta Imaging Workshop 2018 report: Multiscale and multimodal approaches

Abstract

The Centre for Medical Image Computing (CMIC) at University College London (UCL) hosted a two-day workshop on placenta imaging on April 12 th and 13 th 2018. The workshop consisted of 10 invited talks, 3 contributed talks, a poster session, a public interaction session and a panel discussion about the future direction of placental imaging. With approximately 50 placental researchers in attendance, the workshop was a platform for engineers, clinicians and medical experts in the field to network and exchange ideas. Attendees had the chance to explore over 20 posters with subjects ranging from the movement of blood within the placenta to the efficient segmentation of fetal MRI using deep learning tools. UCL public engagement specialists also presented a poster, encouraging attendees to learn more about how to engage patients and the public with their research, creating spaces for mutual learning and dialogue.

Placental MRI and its application to fetal intervention

“…This can make it difficult to establish studies with sufficient numbers to fully investigate new imaging techniques and hence make recommendations about clinical practice. Enhanced coordination of studies between centres and the sharing of clinical and technical expertise alongside imaging data are essential when investigating these conditions and will help to establish the most useful imaging technologies for each pathology. This will speed up the pace of future feto‐placental research for conditions that for the ubiquity of pregnancy remain quite rare but have lifelong impact.…”

Project SWAVE 2.0: An overview of the study design for multimodal placental image acquisition and alignment

“…The placenta plays a major role in the pathogenesis of many pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia (PE), fetal growth restriction (FGR), and pre-term labor. These complications affect up to one-third of all pregnancies and are leading causes of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity globally [ 40 , 41 ].…”

“…Current research efforts directed towards developing non-invasive and in utero placenta imaging techniques offers the promise of identifying early and sensitive biomarkers of placental health [ 29 , 41 ]. Correlative imaging that acquires, aligns and fuses complementary information using multiple multiscale modalities from the same specimen is particularly important to advance the understanding of placental structure, function and their relationship [42] .…”