Wu et al. Sci. Transl. Med. 11, eaau1428 (2019)

Preterm babies are at high risk of neonatal mortality and long-term neurological morbidity; understanding the changes in human uterine electrophysiology during preterm and term labor could inform strategies to prevent preterm labor. Techniques currently used to monitor uterine contractions are either invasive or can only measure limited uterine areas. A study describes the development of a new technique, electromyometrial imaging (EMMI) that combines body-surface electrical recording with body-uterus geometry acquired with MRI to create electrical maps of the entire 3D uterus. EMMI safely, noninvasively and accurately imaged electrical activity of the uterus during contractions in sheep. In the future, EMMI might become a resource to measure uterine contractility in humans.