Clinical Research Directory

Diaphragmatic Hernia Research & Exploration, Advancing Molecular Science

The goal of this study is to identify genes that convey susceptibility to congenital diaphragmatic hernia in humans. The identification of such genes, and examination of their structure and function, will enable a delineation of molecular pathogenesis and, ultimately, prevention or treatment of congenital diaphragmatic hernia. There are many different possible modes of inheritance for congenital anomalies, including autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and multifactorial. Multi-factorial inheritance is responsible for many common medical disorders, including hypertension, myocardial infarction, diabetes and cancer. This type of inheritance pattern appears to involve environmental factors as well as a combination of genetic variations that together can predispose to or produce congenital anomalies, such as congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Our study is designed to establish a small, well-defined genetic resource consisting of 1) Nuclear families suitable for linkage analysis by parametric,non-parametric (e.g. sib pairs, TDT) and association techniques, 2) Individuals with congenital diaphragmatic hernia who can be directly screened for allelic variation in candidate genes, and 3) Individuals who can serve as controls (are unaffected by congenital diaphragmatic hernia). Neonates and their families will be collected from homogenous and heterogeneous populations. By characterizing diverse populations, it should be possible to increase the likelihood of demonstration of genetic variation in selected candidate genes that can then be used in association and linkage studies in individual subjects with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Effect of Melatonin on Pulmonary Hypertension in Full Term Neonates

The aim of the study 1. To evaluate safety and efficacy of melatonin as an adjuvant therapy to inhaled nitric oxide generated by NO generator in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in full term neonates. 2. To assess the effect of inhaled nitric oxide and melatonin on cerebral perfusion.

Fetal Endotracheal Occlusion (FETO) in Severe and Extremely Severe Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully fuse and leaves a portal through which abdominal structures can migrate into the thorax. In the more severe cases, the abdominal structures remain in the thoracic cavity and compromise the development of the lungs. Infants born with this defect have a decreased capacity for gas exchange; mortality rates after birth have been reported between 40-60%. Now that CDH can be accurately diagnosed by mid-gestation, a number of strategies have been developed to repair the hernia and promote lung tissue development. Fetal tracheal occlusion is one technique that temporarily closes the herniated area with the Goldvalve balloon to allow the lungs to develop and increase survival at birth. This is a pilot study of a cohort of fetuses affected by severe CDH that will undergo FETO to demonstrate the feasibility of performing the procedure, managing the pregnancy during the period of tracheal occlusion, and removal of the device prior to delivery at BCM/Texas Children's Hospital (TCH). It is anticipated that fetal tracheal occlusion plug-unplug procedure will improve mortality and morbidity outcomes as compared with current management, but this is not a primary endpoint of the feasibility study. We will perform 20 FETO procedures on fetuses diagnosed prenatally with severe and extremely severe CDH.

North American Fetal Therapy Network Prospective Registry for Long-term Outcome Following Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion in Severe Left and Right Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

The purpose of this research is to determine if babies who undergo a Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) procedure survive more often and have less long-term complications than babies who have similarly severe Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) that have not had the FETO procedure performed during pregnancy

De-implementing Inhaled Nitric Oxide for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

The purpose of this study is to determine if de-implementation of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) in the post-natal resuscitation/stabilization phase affects the composite outcome of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) use and/or mortality, as well as ECLS use, mortality, and/or oxygenation in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) newborns and to establish the cost-effectiveness of de-implementing iNO as a therapy in the postnatal resuscitation/stabilization phase of CDH management, which will be assessed as the incremental health system costs (savings) per prevented ECLS use and/or death.

3D Animation and Models to Aid Management of Fetal CDH

We wish to use the images a mother would have done as part of her normal medical care and make both 3D animations and 3D models of the baby and it's CDH. This will both help the parents see what the problem is and also allow the surgeons, who will operate on the baby once it has been born, to see the size of the hole and what organs are in the wrong place.

Safety and Efficacy of FETO in CDH: A Phase III Trial

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a birth defect characterized by the development of a hole in the diaphragm, the breathing muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen. As a result, organs in the abdomen can move into the chest and press on the developing lungs. This prevents the lungs from growing and developing normally. In severe cases, CDH can lead to serious disease and death at birth. For these babies, treatment before birth may allow the lungs to grow enough before birth so these children are capable of surviving and thriving.

Measuring Heart Health in Both Term, Preterm and Unwell Newborn Babies With an Advanced Ultrasound Method: Speckle Tracking Echocardiography

This study aims to improve how neonatologists check the heart function of newborn babies, especially those who are sick. While standard heart ultrasound scans are useful, a more advanced and sensitive technique called 2D speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) can detect subtle problems with how the heart muscle squeezes and relaxes. This may allow doctors to spot potential issues earlier. Our research will take place at Birmingham Women's Hospital. The investigators will perform these advanced, non-invasive heart scans on several groups of babies: 1. Healthy term and premature babies, to establish a "normal" range of heart function. 2. Babies who are unwell with specific conditions, including those with brain injury due to lack of oxygen at birth (HIE), chronic lung disease of prematurity (BPD), a hole in the diaphragm (CDH), or high blood pressure in their lungs (aPHN). The heart scan is a standard, painless procedure. Using STE does not require any extra scanning time or cause any additional discomfort to the baby; the special images are taken during the routine scan. For many of the sick babies, these scans are already part of their normal clinical care. The main goals of this observational study are to see if STE is a feasible and reliable tool in newborns, to establish normal values for healthy babies, and to track how heart function changes in sick babies during their illness and recovery. Ultimately, the investigators hope this research will provide doctors with a better tool to assess heart health in newborns. This could lead to earlier, more accurate detection of heart problems and help guide treatment decisions to improve outcomes for these vulnerable infants.

Safety and Efficacy of Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)

The purpose of the study is to determine if babies with left or right-sided CDH that undergo the FETO procedure survive more often and have fewer long-term complications than babies that have similar left or right-sided CDH that elect not to have the FETO procedure performed during pregnancy.

Fetal Endoscopic Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) Trial for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)

This is a single site pilot trial to assess the feasibility and safety of treating severe CDH with Fetal Endoscopic Tracheal Occlusion with the Goldballoon Detachable Balloon (GOLDBAL2) along with the Delivery Microcatheter (BALTACCI-BDPE100) at Michigan Medicine. The study will enroll pregnant women that meet study criteria. Participants will have placement of FETO between gestational age at 27 weeks plus 0 days and 29 weeks 6 days. The timing for removal of FETO will ideally be between 34 weeks 0 days and 34 weeks and 6 days but ultimately decided by the Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Center at Michigan Medicine. This study requires that study participants live within 30 miles of the Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in order to maintain weekly follow up appointments while the balloon is in place and up to delivery. Additionally, there are lifestyle considerations where participants would be unable to carry on normal daily activities including exercise and sexual intercourse, not be able to work the remainder of the pregnancy, as well as have a support person that is available to stay with such as a spouse, friend, partner, parent.

Engagement in Physical Activities and Sports in Adolescents With Diaphragmatic Hernia

The objective is to understand how a population of adolescents - who have undergone diaphragm surgery within their first month of life (i.e. subjects who have been carriers of a rare impacting disease such as congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)) - engages in physical and sports activities and what can be the hindering factors as well as the factors facilitating these practices. Based on self-questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, this research is a qualitative research in the field of human and social sciences. The qualitative survey will make it possible to report on the experience of the disease of children and parents; in parallel, a complete medical evaluation of the subjects (clinical and para-clinical) will be carried out. The analysis of the verbatim of the self-questionnaires and interviews with regard to the real physical capacities of the subjects, will be discussed.

Intact Cord Resuscitation in CDH

Isolated CDH is a rare disease (1/3500) and displays a wide range of severity and outcome. Despite attempts to standardize the management of this disease at birth and during the first months of life, the mortality varies from 20 to 50% according to different hospitals in France and abroad. Several studies already showed the benefice of late cord clamping at birth on biological and physiological adaptation of newborns to life. Previous works also suggest a possible benefit of this procedure for babies with CDH. This multicenter randomized clinical study aims to investigate the efficacy of intact cord resuscitation compared to immediate cord clamping on cardiorespiratory adaptation at birth in full term newborn infants with isolated CDH.

Fetal Endotracheal Occlusion (FETO) in Fetuses With Severe Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

The goal of this pilot trial is to learn more about the role of Fetal Endotracheal Occlusion (FETO) as an intervention in fetuses with severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The research team will investigate the feasibility and safety of the FETO procedure, as well as determine whether FETO can improve lung growth before birth, and survival after birth. This study will enroll 10 pregnant participants to undergo the FETO procedure at a gestational age of 27 weeks 0 days to 29 weeks 6 days. The participant will be monitored for a few weeks, and then the FETO removal procedure will be performed ideally at 34 weeks 0 days to 34 weeks 6 days, but may be indicated earlier as determined by the Maternal Fetal care team. The pregnant participant and their baby will continue to be monitored during delivery and up until the child reaches 2 years of age.

Prospective Registry for Long-term Outcomes Following FETO in Severe Left and Right CDH

This registry study aims to confirm that FETO increases neonatal survival to discharge and reduces long-term morbidity in fetuses with isolated left CDH and o/e LHR \< 30%, or isolated right CDH and o/e LHR ≤ 45%, compared to those receiving standard care. This prospective registry plans to enroll 80 pregnant women (40 treatment/40 control) with fetuses diagnosed with isolated CDH, and the children will be followed for up to 24 months.

Respiratory Muscles and Work of Breathing in Children

Respiratory muscle testing allows a quantitative assessment of inspiratory and expiratory muscles in children of any age with primary or secondary respiratory muscle impairment, in order to better understand the pathophysiology of respiratory impairment and guide therapeutic management. The use of an invasive technique (esogastric probe) makes it possible to specifically explore the diaphragm, the accessory inspiratory muscles and the expiratory muscles in order to detect dysfunction or paralysis of these muscles, and to estimate the work of breathing in order to better guide the respiratory management. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the respiratory effort in children with primary or secondary impairment of the respiratory muscles during spontaneous breathing or during mechanical ventilation.

Infant Survival and Long-term Outcome Following Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion in Severe Left and Right Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, A Phase III Trial

The purpose of the study is to determine the infant survival and long-term effects of performing Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) surgery and removal of the BALT Goldbal2 balloon at Children's Mercy Hospital. We hypothesize that FETO balloon placement may increase survival and decrease morbidity when compared to standard prenatal care for the treatment of severe left or right congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

Fetal Endoscopic Tracheal Occlusion for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

The purpose of this research is to gather information on the safety and effectiveness of a procedure called Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) at Mayo Clinic. The intent of the FETO procedure is to improve development of the lungs in fetuses diagnosed with severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

Fetal Endoscopic Tracheal Occlusion for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (FETO)

The purpose of this research is to gather information on the safety and effectiveness of a new procedure called Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO).

Management of Late Presenting Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia .

Diagnosis and different ways of surgical repair of Congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Fetal Endotracheal Occlusion (FETO) in the Resolution of Pulmonary Hypertension in Fetuses With Severe CDH

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully fuse and leaves a portal through which abdominal structures can migrate into the thorax. In the more severe cases, the abdominal structures remain in the thoracic cavity and compromise the development of the lungs. Infants born with this defect have a decreased capacity for gas exchange; mortality rates after birth have been reported between 40-60%. Now that CDH can be accurately diagnosed by mid-gestation, a number of strategies have been developed to repair the hernia and promote lung tissue development. Fetal tracheal occlusion (FETO), using a fetoscopically delivered and removed balloon device, has been used to temporarily occlude the trachea and increase lung distension in CDH to allow the lungs to develop and has been shown to increase survival at birth. The role of FETO in the resolution of pulmonary hypertension in fetuses with severe left- and right- sided CDH remains unclear. Our recent observation that FETO is associated with a higher proportion of infants who resolve their pulmonary hypertension by the age of 1 year as compared with those who have not had FETO, is based on a retrospective cohort study, which, as with any such design, has some intrinsic limitations. Thus, a prospective cohort study that is appropriately powered to confirm or disprove this encouraging observation is needed. If our preliminary observation is confirmed, resolution of PH by the age of 1 year could be added to the benefits of the FETO procedure in severe left and right-sided CDH cases. The investigators will perform 40 FETO procedures on fetuses diagnosed prenatally with severe right- or left-sided CDH, and outcome data will be compared with that of a control group of severe right- or left-sided CDH who will not undergo the FETO procedure because of medical or social issues. Because the prevalence of left-sided CDH is higher than right-side CDH, the investigators will perform 25 FETO procedures in left sided CDH and 15 in right-sided CDH, and these outcomes will be compared to a cohort of 40 non FETO cases.

Fetal Endoscopic Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) for Severe Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

The purpose of the study is to study the efficacy of fetal endoscopic tracheal occlusion (FETO) in cases of severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). This study will also collect safety and effectiveness data for the off-label use of the FETO Goldballoon (the balloon that will be inserted into the fetal trachea), manufactured by Balt medical. The investigators hope to study the risks and benefits of FETO in cases of severe CDH in an advanced medical center such as Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH) Stanford with access to advanced maternal-fetal medicine, neonatal services, and neonatal ECMO, and pediatric surgery.

Palliative Care Needs of Children With Rare Diseases and Their Families

The palliative care needs of family caregivers of children with rare diseases and their children are largely unmet, including the need for support to prepare for future medical decision making. This trial will test the FACE-Rare intervention to see if investigators can identify and meet those needs; and if FACE-Rare effects family caregivers' quality of life and child healthcare utilization. Finally, investigators will determine if the intersectionality of child-sex, family-race, Federal poverty level, and social connection influences family quality of life and child health care utilization longitudinally.

Pilot Trial of Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) in Severe Left Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)

Despite advances in prenatal diagnosis and postnatal therapies, including ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation), inhaled nitric oxide therapy, and ventilator strategies that minimize ventilator-induced lung injury, morbidity and mortality rates for babies with severe CDH remain high. The rationale for fetal therapy in severe CDH is to promote adequate lung growth for neonatal survival. Prenatal tracheal occlusion obstructs the normal egress of lung fluid during pulmonary development leading to increased lung tissue stretch, increased cell proliferation, and accelerated lung growth. The investigator's goal with this pilot study is to study the feasibility of implementing Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) therapy in the most severe group of fetuses with left CDH (LHR O/E \< 25%).

Trial of FETO for Severe Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

This is a single site pilot trial to study the feasibility of Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) therapy in the most severe group of fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) at Ann \& Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (Lurie Children's). This procedure aims to increase fetal lung volume before birth and improve survival after birth. This study will enroll 10 pregnant women who meet study criteria.