Taillieu et al have shown that it is possible to noninvasively measure the placental blood flow, fractional volume of the maternal vascular placental compartment, and rate of transfer of contrast material between the maternal and fetal circulation in gravid mice through the use of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging. Clearly, much work lies ahead before functional evaluation of the placenta becomes a clinical reality, but contrast-enhanced imaging shows promise for functional evaluation of placental disease.