MRI of Lung Structure and Function in Preterm Children

July 29, 2025 updated by: Giles Santyr, The Hospital for Sick Children
The MRI tools developed by the investigators are well positioned for assessing regional changes in lung structure and function in preterm children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), in which airway limitation similar to asthma, alveolar simplification similar to emphysema and pulmonary vascular stunting are expected. To the investigator's knowledge, the combination of ultra short echo time (UTE) proton, pulmonary vascular proton and hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI have not yet been explored in BPD, either clinically or preclinically. The investigators propose that a comprehensive MRI examination may be useful from a diagnostic perspective, MRI of preterm children without BPD may reveal changes which are otherwise clinically 'silent' yet still place children at risk for future chronic lung disease in later life.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Briefly, at the beginning of an approximate three hour study visit, the qualified investigator (QI) / delegate will explain the study procedure to the participants and the participants will have an opportunity to ask questions regarding the study procedure. Following the explanation of the study, written informed consent will be collected at the beginning of visit 1. Participants who are deemed unable to provide consent will be provided an assent form and consent will be acquired from their parents/ legal guardians. During the study visit, participants will undergo: 1) brief medical history and clinical examination including questionnaires, 2) full pulmonary function tests, lung clearance testing (LCI), forced oscillation technique (FoT) and exercise testing, 3) proton MRI, 4) spin-density and/or diffusion-weighted 129Xe MRI, 5) Multiple-breath washout imaging. Qualified research team members will perform a clinical examination on the participant to record their vital statistics like age, gender, height, weight, heart rate, respiratory rate, oral temperature and blood pressure. The QI/delegate, during a brief conversation with the participant, will collect relevant medical history from the participant to make sure the participant meets all the inclusion/exclusion criteria for the study. The QI will also make sure that the participant understands the study procedure and is willing to participate in the study. Based on the clinical examination results, medical history and the pulmonary function test results, the QI/delegate will determine if all the inclusion/exclusion criteria are met to proceed with the MRI part of the study visit.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
12

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X8
        • The Hospital for Sick Children

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

6 years to 9 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthy volunteers will be selected from the general population and the BPD and non-BPD cohorts will be selected from patients from clinics seen at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- Children born pre-term at less than 28 weeks' gestation, currently aged 6-9 years, with and without BPD will be included.

For the preterm non-BPD cohort, inclusion will include

  • no requirement of supplementary oxygen beyond 28 days from birth. For the BPD preterm cohort, inclusion criteria will include
  • need for oxygen at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age, which includes those with moderate-severe disease .

For the healthy cohort, inclusion will include

-absence of any diagnosed pulmonary disease and term birth.

Exclusion Criteria: Children with

  • known interstitial lung disease, congenital lung anomalies, cystic fibrosis, ciliary dysfunction, immunodeficiency, neuromuscular disease or structural heart disease, which may have associated pulmonary function tests (PFT) and/or MRI findings;
  • genetic syndromes which may have other associated structural lung anomalies;
  • any contraindications for MRI
  • severe neurosensory deficits which would prevent test completion;
  • viral or bacterial respiratory infection within 6 weeks will be excluded. For all three groups (healthy, preterm non-BPD and preterm BPD), we will exclude
  • those with congenital lung disease (i.e. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), lung cysts) or non BPD acquired chronic lung disease as defined by need for any routine supplementary oxygen
  • if the participant has an MRI incompatible device or any metal in their body which cannot be removed, including but not limited to pacemakers, neurostimulators, biostimulators, implanted insulin pumps, aneurysm clips, bio prosthetic, artificial limb, metallic fragment or foreign body, shunt, surgical staples (including clips or metallic sutures and/or ear implants).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Healthy
Healthy Participants
Diagnostic test: Lung MRI
Participants will be undergoing hyperpolarized xenon and proton lung MRI
BPD cohort
Participants born prematurely with a diagnosis of BPD
Diagnostic test: Lung MRI
Participants will be undergoing hyperpolarized xenon and proton lung MRI
Non-BPD cohort
Participants born prematurely without a diagnosis of BPD
Diagnostic test: Lung MRI
Participants will be undergoing hyperpolarized xenon and proton lung MRI

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
MRI ventilation and 1H MRI thoracic cavity volume and tissue density
Time Frame: 2 years
Ventilation defect percent (VDP) (%) will be generated for whole lung and individual lung slices using manual or semi-automated segmentation. For proton (1H) thoracic cavity images, the thoracic cavity volume (TCV) will be calculated by manual or semi-automated segmentation.
2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Apparent Diffusion Coefficients (ADC) and ADC maps
Time Frame: 2 years
Diffusion weighted images from each visit will be reviewed and compared with the proton anatomical images. Mean, whole lung, and center slice ADC (and standard deviation) will be calculated and recorded.
2 years
Multiple breath washout testing:
Time Frame: 2 years
VDP will be calculated as described above based on the first image data set prior to wash-out breaths. A pixel-by-pixel fit of images as a function of washout breath number will then be used to calculate the fractional ventilation map defined as the volume of expired gas leaving a volume divided by its end-inspiratory volume.
2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
The Hospital for Sick Children

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 8, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 8, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 6, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 16, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 23, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 1, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 29, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 1000055897

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

IPD will not be shared with other researchers outside of the institutions

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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