Fetal Aortic Valvuloplasty for Evolving Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

April 27, 2026 updated by: Mauro H. Schenone

Evaluation of Outcomes of Fetal Aortic Valvuloplasty for Evolving Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

The purpose of this research is to investigate the best way to manage evolving hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Enrolling by invitation

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 condition occurs when part of the heart doesn't develop properly so the heart is not able to pump blood around the body effectively. Babies born with this condition require surgery and are often left with a lifelong heart disability. A number of babies with this condition will die during pregnancy or within the first year of life (approximately 10-40%). We are investigating a treatment given during pregnancy in which a balloon is used to increase the size of the baby's aortic valve. The aortic valve function is to allow easy flow from the heart to the body and prevent blood from returning to the heart (regurgitation). This is called fetal aortic valvuloplasty. A number of studies have shown promising results, including a higher of the baby surviving with both sides of the heart functioning (as opposed to only the right side), this may also lead to longer survival with a better quality of life. However, we do not have enough information to say this is always the best way to manage the condition. Currently, parents of babies with this condition, who meet certain eligibility criteria, are offered fetal aortic valvuloplasty during pregnancy. The alternative option is not to intervene during pregnancy but instead monitor the baby with regular ultrasounds. We call this conservative management.

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 (Estimated)

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.
80

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 Locations

  • United States
    • Minnesota
      • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
        • Mayo Clinic in Rochester

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

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  • Pregnant women 18-45 years of age.
  • Gestational age between 21 0/7 and 29 6/7 weeks of gestation
  • The mother must be healthy enough to undergo surgery.
  • The individual being enrolled must be able to provide informed consent.
  • Dominant cardiac defect is valvar

  • Evolving hypoplastic left heart syndrome defined as depressed left ventricle systolic and at least one of the following:

    • Retrograde flow in the transverse aortic arch
    • Two of the following: (1) left to right flow across the atrial septum (bulging of the septum left to right in cases of intact atrial septum); (2) monophasic mitral valve inflow; (3) bidirectional flow in the pulmonary veins.

  • Potential for a technically successful and postnatal biventricular outcome defined as left ventricle long axis Z-score equal or greater than -2 PLUS at least 4 of the following 5 criteria:

    • Left ventricle long axis Z-score more than zero
    • Left ventricle short axis Z-score more than zero
    • Aortic annulus Z-score more than -3.5
    • Mitral valve annulus Z-score more than -2
    • Left ventricle generating a maximal instantaneous gradient (MIG) equal or greater than 20 mmHg (or by mitral regurgitation jet greater than or equal to 20 mmHg).

Exclusion Criteria

  • Patient is less than 18 years of age or more than 45 years of age.
  • Contraindication to anesthesia or surgery
  • Preterm labor or cervical length <20 mm at enrollment or uterine anomaly strongly predisposing to preterm delivery.
  • Other fetal anomalies that significantly impact fetal/neonatal survival (e.g., congenital diaphragmatic hernia, bilateral renal agenesis, etc.)
  • Fetal aneuploidy and pathogenic findings on Karyotype or Microarray that impact significantly the fetal/neonatal survival.

  • Cases with all the following criteria:

    • Left ventricle pressure ≤ 47 mmHg
    • MV dimension Z-score < 0.1
    • MV inflow time Z-score < -2

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: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel 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: Intervention Group: Fetal Aortic Valvuloplasty
Women diagnosed with HLHS will undergo fetal aortic valvuloplasty between 21 and 29 weeks gestation.
Procedure: Fetal Aortic Valvuloplasty Procedure
Treatment given during pregnancy in which a balloon is used to increase the size of the baby's aortic valve in vitro.
Device: Emerge Monorail and Over-The-Wire PTCA Dilatation Catheter
Balloon Catheter
Device: Trek RX and Mini Trek RX Coronary Dilatation Catheter
Coronary Dilation Catheter
No Intervention: Control Group: Expectant Management
Women diagnosed with HLHS will undergo expectant management with postnatal surgery.

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
Number of cases in which the procedure was successful
Time Frame: Baseline
Procedure success defined as the aortic valve was crossed and the balloon inflated with clear evidence of improvement of blood flow through the aortic valve and or new aortic valve regurgitation
Baseline
Number of cases in which a biventricular repair was achieved
Time Frame: Baseline
Baseline
Number cases with pulmonary hypertension
Time Frame: Baseline
Baseline

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
Time Frame
Number of cases delivered prematurely
Time Frame: Baseline
Baseline
Number of cases with perinatal death
Time Frame: Baseline
Baseline
Number of maternal complications
Time Frame: Baseline
Baseline

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.
Mauro H. Schenone

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: Mauro Schenone, MD, Mayo Clinic

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.

Helpful Links

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 (Estimated)

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.
January 1, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
July 1, 2036

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.
July 1, 2036

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).
March 27, 2024

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 27, 2024

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.
April 2, 2024

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.
May 1, 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.
April 27, 2026

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.
April 1, 2026

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.
  • 22-012399

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.

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