Fetal Treatment of Galenic Malformations

December 15, 2025 updated by: Darren Orbach
This is a prospective, single-arm non-randomized interventional study of fetuses to assess the safety and efficacy of fetal embolization of Vein of Galen Malformation (VOGM). Subjects will receive a one-time study intervention of fetal embolization. Follow-up assessments will be collected every 4 weeks until delivery, as per standard of care. After delivery, neurological assessments will be performed every 6 months for 2 years (adjusted for gestational age). Data will be compared to historical cohorts.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

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

The study involves a single fetal intervention of maternal transuterine, fetal transcranial torcular puncture and median prosencephalic vein embolization. Detachable platinum coils (Target XL and XXL Detachable Coil, Stryker Neurovascular) will be used to pack the prosencephalic varix. This procedure will take place in an obstetric OR at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Data will be collected every 4 weeks post-procedure until delivery, as per standard of care. Data regarding delivery and post-delivery status will also be collected until the subject is discharged from the hospital. After delivery, neurological assessments will be performed every 6 months for 2 years (adjusted for gestational age). Data will be compared to historical cohorts.

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.
Interventional

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.
7

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

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 Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Boston Children's Hospital

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant woman carrying a fetus harboring a vein of Galen malformation in whom the straight sinus or falcine sinus draining the prosencephalic varix measures 7 mm or more on fetal MRI (medio-lateral diameter measured at the narrowest point of the sinus along the rostral-caudal axis, assessed on a T2-weighted coronal slice).
  • Fetal gestational age between 23 weeks and term as determined by clinical information and evaluation of first ultrasound.
  • Anatomic diagnosis of fetal vein of Galen malformation.
  • Well preserved brain parenchyma.
  • Maternal age of 18 years and older.
  • Eligible for continuous lumbar epidural anesthesia.
  • Able to travel to study site for study evaluation, procedures and visits.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Extensive fetal brain parenchymal injury/gliosis, >10% of supratentorial brain volume (i.e., SFP presentation). This is a degree of fetal brain injury beyond which the risk of significant neurological morbidity is high, based on studies of prenatal ischemic stroke.
  • Irreversible fetal non-brain organ injury (e.g. hydrops fetalis as a manifestation of heart failure, a finding which portends fatal outcome in fetuses with vein of Galen malformation), i.e., SFP presentation.
  • Fetus with VOGM in whom the straight sinus or falcine sinus draining the prosencephalic varix measures less than 7 mm on fetal MRI (T2-weighted coronal slice, medio-lateral diameter measured at the narrowest point of the sinus along the anterior-posterior axis), fitting fetal MRI criteria for likely evolution into the IT cohort.
  • Severe maternal obesity pre-pregnancy as defined by body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater.
  • Fetuses with major congenital anomalies.
  • Evidence of preterm labor, rupture of membranes or abruption.
  • Maternal coagulopathy: INR > 1.2; PT/PTT above normal ranges for the lab; platelets <100.
  • Medical disease requiring current anticoagulation including maternal deep vein thrombosis.
  • Prior maternal medical history that would preclude epidural anesthesia.
  • Multi-fetal pregnancy.
  • Placenta previa or accreta.
  • Participation in another fetal study that influences maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.
  • Known maternal hypersensitivity to 316LM stainless steel.
  • Supine hypotensive syndrome.

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

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
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.
Experimental: Fetal embolization of vein of Galen malformation
This is a single-arm study. Fetal subjects will undergo a one-time intervention of fetal embolization of vein of Galen malformation.
Device: Fetal embolization of vein of Galen malformation using Target XL and XXL Detachable Coils
The study involves a single fetal intervention of maternal transuterine, fetal transcranial torcular puncture and median prosencephalic vein embolization. Detachable platinum coils (Target XL and XXL Detachable Coil, Stryker Neurovascular) will be used to pack the prosencephalic varix.

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
Prenatal Safety of Fetal Embolization for Patients With Vein of Galen Malformations
Time Frame: From fetal embolization to delivery

The procedure is deemed safe if

  1. None of the following unacceptable events occur within 7 days of fetal embolization:

    1. Fetal death
    2. Fetal intracranial hemorrhage, either parenchymal or extra-axial, other than petechial hemorrhage.
    3. Maternal death

  2. None of the following unacceptable events occur between fetal embolization and delivery:

    1. Intra-procedural and post-procedural morbidity to the fetus and mother, probably related to the fetal intervention, e.g. placental abruption with subsequent sequelae
    2. Preterm delivery < 28 weeks, probably related to the fetal intervention
    3. Maternal blood transfusion or unanticipated surgical intervention, probably related to the fetal intervention
    4. Presence of fetal imaging evidence of new brain injury in a location or pattern unexpected for the natural history of vein of Galen malformation, probably related to the fetal intervention
From fetal embolization to delivery

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
Efficacy of Fetal Embolization for Patients With Vein of Galen Malformations
Time Frame: Within 30 days of birth

The procedure is deemed efficacious if none of the following serious postnatal events occur within 30 days of birth:

  1. Urgent neonatal embolization is needed. Without fetal intervention, we'd expect 80% of the cohort to require such intervention.
  2. Neonatal death. Without fetal intervention, we'd expect a mortality rate of 40% in this cohort.
  3. Brain MRI within the first three weeks after birth reveals parenchymal brain injury (acute infarct or gliosis) affecting > 10% of the supratentorial brain volume. Without fetal intervention, we'd expect 30% of patients in this cohort to show this kind of injury.
Within 30 days of birth

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.
Darren Orbach

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Darren Orbach, MD PhD, Boston Children's Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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 30, 2022

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.
September 6, 2024

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 1, 2026

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).
June 13, 2020

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.
June 13, 2020

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.
June 17, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
January 6, 2026

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.
December 15, 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.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • IRB-P00034727
  • 2020P000216 (Other Identifier: Partners Healthcare IRB)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

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.

Clinical Trials on Vein of Galen Malformations

Clinical Trials on Fetal embolization of vein of Galen malformation using Target XL and XXL Detachable Coils

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings