Title: Early confirmative diagnosis of coarctation of the aorta conditional upon written confirmation that research sponsorship has been received for this study_x000D_
Funder: Action Medical Research

Abstract: Background Coarctation of the aorta (a narrowing in the main body artery, the aorta) is found in one of every 2,500 babies born. Babies may be pale and breathless, unable to feed properly and in severe cases, not enough blood reaches the lower half of the body which can damage vital organs such as the liver, kidneys and intestines. Ultrasound scans during pregnancy can identify babies with suspected coarctation, but the diagnosis cannot be confirmed until after the baby is born. Diagnosis involves daily ultrasound assessments and blood tests for up to seven days after birth. Ultimately, around half of babies with suspected coarctation identified on scans during pregnancy are found to be unaffected. Earlier diagnosis would benefit babies and their families by shortening the period of stress and uncertainty before diagnosis and allowing earlier intervention for those babies who are affected by this condition. The research project In addition to blood flow problems which is usually corrected by operating on the heart, children and adults born with coarctation of the aorta have blood vessels which are stiffer than normal and this can lead to high blood pressure throughout life. These researchers believe that stiff blood vessels are already present in new born babies and that this could be used to make the diagnosis earlier. They propose to compare blood vessel stiffness in healthy babies and babies with coarctation of the aorta to create a new assessment tool. They will use advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques to provide detailed assessments of the blood flow through the heart and blood vessels. This will allow them to measure the stiffness of the aorta in newborn babies while they are asleep, and eliminate the need for a general anaesthetic. Early diagnosis will allow surgical correction to take place as soon as possible. This is important because it could reduce the risk of damage to vital organs and improve the babies' recovery from surgery. Diagnosis soon after birth will help to reduce the anxiety of parents, who understandably find waiting to hear if their baby requires major heart surgery very stressful. Finally, showing that babies with coarctation already have stiffer aortas will help doctors decide when they should start treating high blood pressure with medication in children and teenagers with coarctation of the aorta.

Lay abstract: Background Coarctation of the aorta (a narrowing in the main body artery, the aorta) is found in one of every 2,500 babies born. Babies may be pale and breathless, unable to feed properly and in severe cases, not enough blood reaches the lower half of the body which can damage vital organs such as the liver, kidneys and intestines. Ultrasound scans during pregnancy can identify babies with suspected coarctation, but the diagnosis cannot be confirmed until after the baby is born. Diagnosis involves daily ultrasound assessments and blood tests for up to seven days after birth. Ultimately, around half of babies with suspected coarctation identified on scans during pregnancy are found to be unaffected. Earlier diagnosis would benefit babies and their families by shortening the period of stress and uncertainty before diagnosis and allowing earlier intervention for those babies who are affected by this condition. The research project In addition to blood flow problems which is usually corrected by operating on the heart, children and adults born with coarctation of the aorta have blood vessels which are stiffer than normal and this can lead to high blood pressure throughout life. These researchers believe that stiff blood vessels are already present in new born babies and that this could be used to make the diagnosis earlier. They propose to compare blood vessel stiffness in healthy babies and babies with coarctation of the aorta to create a new assessment tool. They will use advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques to provide detailed assessments of the blood flow through the heart and blood vessels. This will allow them to measure the stiffness of the aorta in newborn babies while they are asleep, and eliminate the need for a general anaesthetic. Early diagnosis will allow surgical correction to take place as soon as possible. This is important because it could reduce the risk of damage to vital organs and improve the babies' recovery from surgery. Diagnosis soon after birth will help to reduce the anxiety of parents, who understandably find waiting to hear if their baby requires major heart surgery very stressful. Finally, showing that babies with coarctation already have stiffer aortas will help doctors decide when they should start treating high blood pressure with medication in children and teenagers with coarctation of the aorta.

Research activity codes: 4.1 DISCOVERY AND PRECLINICAL TESTING OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES;4.2 EVALUATION OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES
Health categories: CARDIOVASCULAR