EVAL OF NORMAL & ECTOPIC IMPLANTATION PRIMATES W CONTRAST ENHANCED ULTRASOUND

这个子项目是许多利用资源的研究子项目之一 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目的主要支持 而子项目的主要调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括其它NIH来源。 列出的子项目总成本可能 代表子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， 而不是由NCRR赠款提供给子项目或子项目工作人员的直接资金。 我们的目标是进行恒河猴宫内早孕（IUP）的研究。在怀孕期间，子宫内膜的血管被广泛修改，以提供血流到生长的孕体。超声造影（CEU）是一种能够对器官内微血管进行高分辨率成像的新技术。该方法依赖于检测静脉注射的充气微泡，同时通过超声成像。 我们的假设是，CEU成像将允许早期可视化胚胎植入和第一次详细评估胎儿-母体界面的子宫内膜血管生长。 我们的具体目标是开发微泡CEU，用于恒河猴早期妊娠的可视化和胚胎植入过程中宫内血管参数的评估。 我们现在已经证明，CEU可以识别初级胎盘叶和下面的血管比传统的方法，多普勒超声（DUS），检测妊娠相关的子宫内膜增厚早约2天。 CEU显示子宫内膜、子宫肌层和子宫内膜-子宫肌层交界区之间的血管灌注改变。 除了向生长中的孕体的高血流速率外，CEU还确定了向子宫肌层的高血流速率（10 mL/min/g组织），远离植入部位的子宫内膜和子宫肌层区的血流较少（3 mL/min/g）。 我们的结论是，CEU提供了一种敏感、非侵入性的方法来评估胚胎着床期间猕猴子宫的血管灌注。 我们建议CEU作为一种新的诊断工具，以监测血管的变化与早期妊娠的妇女。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Our goal is to perform studies on early intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) in rhesus macaques. During pregnancy the vessels of the endometrium are extensively modified to provide blood flow to the growing conceptus. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU) is a new technique capable of high-resolution imaging of the microvasculature within organs. The method relies on the detection of gas-filled microbubbles that are injected intravenously while imaging by ultrasound. Our hypothesis is that CEU imaging will permit earlier visualization of embryo implantation and for the first time a detailed evaluation of the growing endometrial vessels at the fetal-maternal interface. Our Specific Aim is to develop microbubble CEU for visualization of early pregnancy and assessment of intrauterine vascular parameters during embryo implantation in rhesus macaques. We have now demonstrated that CEU can identify the primary placental lobe and underlying vessels ~2 days earlier than the conventional method, Doppler Ultrasound (DUS), detected pregnancy-associated endometrial thickening. CEU revealed changes in vascular perfusion between the endometrium, myometrium, and the endometrial-myometrial junctional zone. In addition to the high rate of blood flow to the growing conceptus, CEU identified a high rate of blood flow to the myometrium (10 mL/min/g tissue), with less flow in the endometrium and endometrial-myometrial zone (3 mL/min/g) distant from the site of implantation. We conclude that CEU provides a sensitive, non-invasive method to assess vascular perfusion of the macaque uterus during embryo implantation. We propose CEU as a new diagnostic tool to monitor vascular changes associated with early pregnancy in women.