Early-life MRI Biomarkers of Longer-term Respiratory Morbidity in Infants Born Extremely Preterm (EMBLEM)

Overview

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common, major complication of premature birth, associated with developmental and health consequences that continue into adulthood. Prediction of who will have these problems is challenging using traditional definitions of disease. It is believed that underdevelopment and injury occur in both lung tissue and the blood vessels in the lungs, with a sophisticated interplay between them that contributes to lung disease seen in prematurity. New magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques can delineate tissue structure with unprecedented granularity, assessing lung tissue, blood vessels, and their interplay. The ability to identify, at an early stage, those infants destined for chronic lung disease with greater certainty will be useful in counseling families and critical for the effective introduction of promising new BPD therapies. 319 infants born less than 29 weeks gestation will be recruited from 4 centres, including 5 babies who received stem cell therapy in a clinical trial. Babies will be evaluated at 36 weeks post-conception with lung MRI, oscillometry (lung function), echocardiogram (heart ultrasound), and oscillometry. Lung health will be assessed every 3 months by phone questionnaire and chart review. At 18-21 months post-conception, babies will undergo neurodevelopmental assessment and lung function testing. The investigators will look at how well baseline MRI markers predict subsequent lung health and development, independently and combined with echocardiogram, lung ultrasound, and traditional markers of BPD. The investigators anticipate that these new MRI markers will measure lung health safely and longitudinally in babies born extremely preterm. By identifying predictors of longer-term lung disease, clinicians will be able to allocate resources to babies at the highest risk of severe disease. Further, The investigators envision that MRI will help identify babies who would benefit most from interventions like stem cell therapy and be useful for evaluation of future treatments.

Interventions

• Diagnostic test Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
  Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to generate detailed images of the body's internal structures. The MRI intervention includes using a specialized MRI machine and lung imaging protocol.
• Diagnostic test Echocardiogram
  An echocardiogram, often called an "echo," is a non-invasive medical test that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to create real-time images of the heart's structure and function. It provides valuable information about the heart's size, shape, and function.
• Diagnostic test Lung ultrasound
  Lung ultrasound is a non-invasive imaging technique that employs high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to visualize the structures and conditions of the lungs. It is particularly valuable for diagnosing and monitoring lung-related conditions, such as pneumonia, pleural effusions, and pulmonary edema. The lung ultrasound intervention involves using an ultrasound machine equipped with a specialized probe gently placed on the chest to capture detailed images of the lungs and adjacent structures.

Primary outcome measures

• Severe Post-prematurity Respiratory Disease (PRD) [Time frame: The evaluation will be conducted at regular intervals of every 3 months, commencing at 36 weeks PMA and continuing until the child reaches 18 months corrected age]

Secondary outcome measures (1)

• Neurodevelopmental Impairment (NDI) [Time frame: Neurodevelopmental impairment will be determined at the 18-21 months corrected age visit]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Infants born at <29 weeks gestation;
• currently <36 weeks PMA.

Exclusion criteria

• Known interstitial lung disease, congenital lung anomaly, ciliary dysfunction, immunodeficiency, cystic fibrosis, neuromuscular disease, or structural heart disease (other than atrial septal defect/hemodynamically insignificant ventricular septal defect/patent ductus arteriosus);
• genetic syndrome or congenital anomaly;
• contraindications for MRI or transport;
• invasive or non-invasive ventilation that cannot be safely removed for MRI;
• current respiratory infection;
• family cannot speak English/French;
• transferred to another hospital prior to baseline study visit
• not receiving follow-up at one of the study centres.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Observational model

Cohort

Study locations

Canada · 4 centers

• The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario — Ottawa
• Mount Sinai Hospital — Toronto
• CHU-Sainte Justine — Montreal
• Montreal Children's Hospital — Montreal

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06065215 · 486713

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗