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Advanced brain MRI scans in premature babies with bleeding in brain fluid spaces

Tests advanced MRI scans in premature babies with brain bleeds and fluid build-up.

Key facts

Who runs it
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
Where
Liverpool and London, United KingdomSee the 2 sites
Trial code
Registry title
Advanced MRI in IVH
Status
Not yet recruiting
People taking part
30 people, planned
Started
16 Feb 2026
Expected to end
1 May 2027
Type of study
Interventional
Treatments tested
  • Advanced MRI
Record updated
17 February 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for newborn babies with fluid build-up in the brain after a brain bleed (PHVD). They must be referred to or treated by neurosurgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital or Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

Age
Newborn babies (neonates)
Sex
All
Disease stage
Fluid build-up in the brain's fluid spaces after bleeding (post-haemorrhagic ventricular dilatation, PHVD) in babies born early.
Earlier treatment
Babies must have been referred for, or have had, brain surgery treatment at GOSH or Alder Hey Children's Hospital. Being in the ENLIVEN-UK trial does not stop a baby from joining.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • A parent or carer does not give informed consent

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 3 criteriaShow less

Other criteria

  • Neonates with PHVD who have been referred to and/or have undergone neurosurgical treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and Alder Hey Children's Hospital (AHCH) (15 neonates in each) will be eligible for inclusion
  • The majority of neonates will be recruited to the ENLIVEN-UK randomised clinical trial and involvement will not preclude recruitment to this study
  • The only exclusion criteria will be lack of informed consent from the parent/carer

Where in United Kingdom

  • Alder Hey Children's HospitalLiverpool, United KingdomContact: Conor MallucciNot yet recruiting
  • Great Ormond Street Hospital for ChildrenLondon, United KingdomContact: Kristian AquilinaNot yet recruiting

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

55,000 babies are born prematurely in the UK annually. Bleeding in the fluid spaces of the brain (ventricles) is common after prematurity; in England around 450 babies suffer from severe bleeds every year. This is the most important cause of neurological disability after prematurity. Bleeding occurs in the first week of life when the brain is developing rapidly and is most vulnerable to injury. The blood and its breakdown products in the brain fluid (cerebrospinal fluid, CSF) are toxic to the developing brain and cause scarring that blocks the flow and absorption of CSF. In about half these babies, this causes fluid build-up, or post-haemorrhagic ventricular dilatation (PHVD).

Read full original descriptionShow less

Current standard treatment of PHVD only drains CSF to reduce pressure inside the brain. Following early results and a successful pilot study at GOSH, we developed an NIHR-funded randomised national trial to analyse the impact of an operation to wash out blood inside the brain using a small endoscope. We will compare standard treatment (fluid drainage alone) with washout plus drainage of fluid.

Premature babies typically undergo an MRI scan of the brain at their expected birth time to assess their brain injury, predict the severity of their disability and see what early rehabilitation and treatment they need. In this study we will use new MRI techniques during this scan at GOSH and Alder Hey Hospital to better understand the extent of brain injury in relation to brain structure, function and brain fluid flow. We want to see whether these will show the impact of the washout procedure, tell us about how washout works, and improve prediction of the child's disability and early treatment needs. If successful, we will apply for further funding to extend these techniques to the other centres in the UK and maximise their benefit within the NHS.

The group in the trial

  • Advanced MRI SqeuencesTreatment being tested

    We will acquire advanced MRI sequences including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI)

    Treatment: Advanced MRI

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Advanced MRI in Preterm Intraventricular Haemorrhage: Uncovering Mechanisms of Disease and Novel Treatments
Plain-language title
Advanced brain MRI scans in premature babies with bleeding in brain fluid spacesGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 14 November 2026.
Record updated
17 February 2026