Placental growth and development analyzed through 2D and 3D fractals.

Abstract

Fractal geometry has many applications in physiology and anatomy, providing novel insights into the structure and function of biological systems and organs, including the placenta. The placenta is a vital fetal organ that is the means by which essential nutrients and oxygen are extracted from maternal blood and transferred to the developing fetus. Anatomically, the placenta is a highly intricate structure exhibiting self-similarity at different scales. The complex relationship between placental function in nutrient transfer and fetal growth follows the allometric metabolic scaling law. Variability of shape of the placental chorionic plate, a 2D plane which contains the major chorionic arteries and veins, has been linked to measures of child health and neurodevelopmental outcomes. The microscopic arrangement of chorionic villi have also been demonstrated to have fractal properties that vary by gestational age and in different pathological conditions. Geographical Information Systems theory could be used to analyze the placental topography in the context of its surface vasculature and measures of spatial autocorrelation can model placental growth and development over gestation. An ideal model would mark timing, nature, and severity of gestational pathology modifying placental growth and, by extension, fetal development that leads to poor pregnancy outcomes.