Colorado Fetal Care Center 2017 Overview and Outcomes CIMFH-160082376-2019-12-CFCC Outcomes Brochure-FIN | Page 20

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Mothers with long QT syndrome at increased risk for fetal death
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, September 2019
Long QT syndrome is a genetic disorder of cardiac ion channels that carries a risk of sudden death for affected individuals,
including fetuses. Led by Children’s Hospital Colorado fetal cardiologist Bettina Cuneo, MD, this multi-center,
international study sought to determine the risk of fetal death in fetuses whose mother or father carried the LQTS gene
mutation. In a case series of 148 pregnancies from 103 families, recruited from 11 international centers in 9 countries,
researchers demonstrated that families with LQTS are at increased risk of stillbirth compared to the normal population.
Sonographic findings: bowel dilation predicts poor gastroschisis outcomes
Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, August 2019
In the field of gastroschisis, conflicting data muddy the prognostic value of sonographic findings. We sought to identify
prenatal ultrasonographic features associated with poor neonatal outcomes via a review of 55 patients with gastroschisis
over ten years. Bivariate analysis demonstrated an increased time to full enteral feeds with increasing number of
surgeries, extra-abdominal bowel dilation and intra-abdominal bowel dilation. Based on these findings, bowel dilation is
associated with a longer time to full feeding and the diagnosis of complex gastroschisis.
MOMS Plus: outcomes for extended BMI criteria in fetal myelomeningocele repair
Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, May 2019
In utero repair for spina bifida has become an accepted therapy to decrease the rate of ventriculoperitoneal shunting and
improve neurologic function in select cases of fetal myelomeningocele. The Management of Myelomeningocele Study, or
MOMS trial, excluded patients with a BMI above 35 due to concerns for increased maternal complications and preterm
delivery. This retrospective review evaluated outcomes associated with extending maternal BMI to 40. In 11 patients with
an average BMI of 37, we did not observe any adverse maternal outcomes; however, gestational age at delivery was two
weeks earlier on average, compared to the MOMS trial.
20