TY - JOUR
T1 - Imaging of the placenta
T2 - A multimodality pictorial review
AU - Elsayes, Khaled M.
AU - Trout, Andrew T.
AU - Friedkin, Aaron M.
AU - Liu, Peter S.
AU - Bude, Ronald O.
AU - Platt, Joel F.
AU - Menias, Christine O.
PY - 2009/9
Y1 - 2009/9
N2 - The placenta is often overlooked in the routine evaluation of a normal gestation, receiving attention only when an abnormality is detected. Although uncommon, abnormalities of the placenta are important to recognize owing to the potential for maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Pathologic conditions of the placenta include placental causes of hemorrhage, gestational trophoblastic disease, retained products of conception, nontrophoblastic placental tumors, metastases, and cystic lesions. Sonography remains the imaging modality of choice for evaluation of the placenta. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can be of added diagnostic value when further characterization is required, particularly in the setting of invasive placental processes such as placenta accreta and gestational trophoblastic disease. Computed tomography (CT) has a limited role in the evaluation of placental disease owing to limited tissue characterization, compared with that of MR imaging, and the radiation risk to the fetus; this risk often outweighs the benefit. The primary role for CT is in the evaluation of trauma and gestational trophoblastic disease, for which it allows characterization of the primary lesion and distant metastases.
AB - The placenta is often overlooked in the routine evaluation of a normal gestation, receiving attention only when an abnormality is detected. Although uncommon, abnormalities of the placenta are important to recognize owing to the potential for maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Pathologic conditions of the placenta include placental causes of hemorrhage, gestational trophoblastic disease, retained products of conception, nontrophoblastic placental tumors, metastases, and cystic lesions. Sonography remains the imaging modality of choice for evaluation of the placenta. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can be of added diagnostic value when further characterization is required, particularly in the setting of invasive placental processes such as placenta accreta and gestational trophoblastic disease. Computed tomography (CT) has a limited role in the evaluation of placental disease owing to limited tissue characterization, compared with that of MR imaging, and the radiation risk to the fetus; this risk often outweighs the benefit. The primary role for CT is in the evaluation of trauma and gestational trophoblastic disease, for which it allows characterization of the primary lesion and distant metastases.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70349933313&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=70349933313&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1148/rg.295085242
DO - 10.1148/rg.295085242
M3 - Article
C2 - 19755601
AN - SCOPUS:70349933313
SN - 0271-5333
VL - 29
SP - 1371
EP - 1391
JO - Radiographics
JF - Radiographics
IS - 5
ER -