Advanced MRI in IVH
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Advanced MRI in Preterm Intraventricular Haemorrhage: Uncovering Mechanisms of Disease and Novel Treatments
IRAS ID
363084
Contact name
Kristian Aquilina
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
RA100866/1, UCL RA; No Z6364106/2025/12/45, UCL Registration
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Premature babies are at risk of bleeding into the ventricles (i.e. the fluid spaces) of the brain, called intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH). In some infants, this causes the ventricles to enlarge, a condition known as post-haemorrhagic ventricular dilatation (PHVD). PHVD can damage the developing brain and is linked to long-term difficulties with movement, learning, and behaviour (i.e. neurodevelopmental outcomes (NDOs)).
The current standard of care for PVHD is to drain the excess fluid in the ventricles through a tube (a shunt) into the subgaleal space (the potential space between the skull bone and the galea aponeurotica, a fibrous layer under the skin of the scalp). A novel treatment called neuroendoscopic washout, which also removes blood clots and their breakdown products from the ventricles that may be harmful to the developing brain, has early evidence supporting better NDOs babies treated this way; this is being studied in the ENLIVEN-UK trial.
This pilot study, run at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, will explore how these treatments impact brain development using advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is already carried out around the baby’s due date as part of routine care. We will add 20 minutes of advanced MRI sequences. We will be using the ‘feed-and-wrap’ method to scan therefore no sedation or anaesthesia will be required.
Thirty children will take part. Their parents will be approached during routine care and given ample time (likely weeks) to consider participation before giving written consent. After the scan, no extra procedures are required. With permission, we will collect routine clinic and developmental information for up to 2 years to see how MRI findings predict outcomes.
This research will improve understanding of PHVD, test whether advanced MRI adds useful information, and assess whether neuroendoscopic washout may protect the developing brain.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/YH/0064
Date of REC Opinion
22 Mar 2026
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion