MRI assessment of lung development in fetuses that deliver <32 weeks
Research type
Research Study
Full title
MRI assessment of in utero lung development in fetuses that deliver less than 32 weeks gestation
IRAS ID
262153
Contact name
Reza Rezavi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
na, na
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Very premature birth (before 32 weeks) accounts for 1.4% of all deliveries in the UK, affecting 13500 individuals every year. Of children that are born very premature, complications with the lungs resulting breathing difficulties is a significant problem. These lung problems can even persist throughout childhood and be ongoing in adult life. In addition there is evidence to suggest that how the lungs develop also affects how the brain develops after birth. This again can persist and can cause children problems with development at school age. There is very limited information on how the lungs develop in babies that go on to deliver very prematurely.
Infection and inflammation have been suggested to be the cause of why women deliver their babies early. Whether also affects how the baby’s lungs develop during pregnancy is not known.
This study aims to investigate whether the baby’s exposure to infection/inflammation in the womb impacts on how the lungs develop and how this also affects the baby’s lungs and brain development after birth.
10-15 women at high risk of having their baby less than 32 weeks will be invited to participate.
An MRI (a safe test used in routine care) will be used to take pictures of the baby in the womb. We will look at the placenta brain and lungs. If the baby is then born less than 32 weeks into the pregnancy we will take a small sample of blood from the placenta and analyse this and the placenta for signs of infection/inflammation.
We will also measure the volume of the lungs after birth and around the time of the woman's original due date will perform an MRI on the baby to look at how their brain is developing.
REC name
London - Stanmore Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0736
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion