Scientists from the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have created a new non-invasive imaging tool that shows uterine contractions during childbirth. Researchers published Study in the journal Nature Communications.
Electromyometrial Imaging (EMMI) is designed to create real-time 3D images and maps of contractions during labor. EMMI integrates two types of non-invasive scanning methods: MRI and multichannel electromyogram. Data collected in these ways are combined into three-dimensional maps of the uterus showing contractions.
“Modern methods for measuring contractions (for example, tocodynamometry and intrauterine catheter) can provide only limited information and are also invasive. Our development is more advanced in both plans. We have already adapted the EMMI for clinical use in humans and tested it on 10 women,” he said.
By displaying metrics that can help gauge the nature of contractions, EMMI provides a foundation for improving labor management, especially in preterm labor. The tool can potentially predict who is at risk of preterm birth or who needs a cesarean section.