Projects at Washington University
Prenatal Heart & Brain Study (PHB Study)
The purpose of this project is to compare brain development in fetuses with and without congenital heart disease, define the physiologic and genetic factors that may alter brain development in congenital heart disease and determine how these factors influence later neurodevelopment. Pregnant women, their partners and their infants are enrolled before their child is born. Participants undergo fetal MRI twice during pregnancy to acquire images of fetal brain and placenta. We use cutting-edge MRI methods to measure fetal brain growth, cerebral cortical development, cerebral white matter maturation and placental growth and oxygenation. Participants also provide samples for genetic testing, complete a series of parental wellbeing questionnaires and bring their child for a toddler neurodevelopmental evaluation.
Childhood learning and development in prenatally-diagnosed heart patients (CHILD PREHP)
Despite growing evidence that neurodevelopmental disabilities result from prenatal disruption in brain development, the prenatal clinical factors contributing to adverse neurodevelopmental outcome and their relative contributions are still unclear. This study investigates the association of prenatal clinical factors with questionnaire-based neurodevelopmental assessments in children with congenital heart disease who received a prenatal diagnosis.
Placental abnormalities in CHD
This is a retrospective cohort study that aims to define the frequency and pattern of placental abnormalities in pregnancies with fetal congenital heart disease and determine the association of placental abnormalities with postnatal outcomes.
Pilot prenatal imaging study (PPI Study)
This project aims to establish the feasibility of MRI sequences and data processing methods for application to fetal MRI and to identify strategies for addressing fetal motion and poor signal-to-noise.
Multicenter/collaborative projects
Fetal Heart & Brain Project
Ortinau collaborates with Caitlin Rollins, MD, SM, principal investigator of the Fetal Heart & Brain Project and a neurologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. This study aims to investigate fetal brain measurements in congenital heart disease to determine whether in utero markers of abnormal brain development can be identified and are associated with later childhood development.
Clinical prediction tool for neurodevelopmental outcome in single ventricle heart disease
Ortinau and Rollins are co-principal investigators on this multicenter study that aims to develop a prenatal clinical prediction model for childhood neurodevelopmental outcome in single ventricle heart disease using a machine learning approach. The goal is for this model to inform the developmental of a clinical prediction tool for prenatal care providers.
Enhanced imaging of the fetal brain microstructure
Ortinau collaborates with Ali Gholipour, PhD, principal investigator of this project and director of the Intelligent Medical Imaging research group (IMAGINE) at Boston Children’s Hospital. Ortinau is a co-investigator on this study, which aims to develop new techniques for fetal diffusion-weighted brain imaging.