Key clinical point: Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging could supplement routine ultrasound monitoring to noninvasively differentiate between small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and false-positive SGA (fpSGA) pregnancies.
Major finding: Compared with the control and fpSGA groups, the SGA group had significantly lower mean values of the diffusion coefficient (D; P < .001 and P = .004, respectively), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*; P = .001 and P = .012, respectively), and perfusion fraction (f; both P < .001). The mean values of D ( P = .347), D* ( P = .404), and f ( P = .880) were similar between the control and fpSGA groups.
Study details: This was a prospective study including 75 singleton pregnant women at >28 weeks of gestation with suspected SGA or nonspecific ultrasonographic soft markers, of which 28, 20, and 27 were assigned to the non-SGA control, fpSGA, and SGA groups, respectively.
Disclosures: The study was sponsored by the National Key Research and Development Program of China. No conflicts of interest were reported.
Source: He J et al. Utility of placental diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in prenatal diagnosis of small for gestational age infants and pregnancy outcome prediction. Placenta. 2022;121:91-98 (Mar 12). Doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2022.03.010