NeoDoppler: New Ultrasound Technology for Continuous Monitoring of Cerebral Circulation Pilot (CE-NeoDoppler)

April 22, 2026 updated by: St. Olavs Hospital

NeoDoppler: New Ultrasound Technology for Continuous Monitoring of Cerebral Blood Flow in Infants

Non-invasive tools for monitoring of course of disease are important and necessary in the treatment of pre-term/premature infants and sick neonates. For many years, the ultrasound group in Trondheim has been at the forefront in the development of new ultrasound technology for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease. Several methods previously developed in this research group are today widely used in hospitals around the world. In this project the investigators aim to test a new ultrasound technology that allows continuous monitoring of cerebral blood flow in sick neonates and pre-term children. This technology was CE-certified in October 2022, and in this project the investigators will test the CE-certified version with the newest available approved software.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

A new ultrasound technology called NeoDoppler has been developed, which can measure blood flow in the brain over time. The product is approved for clinical use (CE approved). A pilot study, with with inclusion of different patient groups in need of continuous monitoring, will be conducted to map variability of cerebral hemodynamics. These studies include:

  1. A feasibility study on healthy preterm- and term born neonates to map what is normal cerebral blood flow in neonates born before gestational week 32, in gestational week 32-37 and at term.
  2. A study including preterm neonates with patent ductus arteriosus to look at the connection between the heart's function and the brain's blood flow.
  3. Studies of sick neonates including conditions such as perinatal asphyxia, stroke, pulmonary hypertension and congenital heart disease to study how different medical conditions influences cerebral blood flow.
  4. A study on cerebral blood flow during ongoing procedures such as intubation, anesthesia, spinal puncture and peripheral and central arterial- and venous catheter.
  5. A study of how infection, sepsis and meningitis affects cerebral blood flow.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

180

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 Backup

Study Locations

      • Trondheim, Norway, 7030
        • Recruiting
        • Children's clinic, St. Olavs University Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Siri Ann Nyrnes, MD, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Hester Berger, MD, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Ragnhild Støen, MD, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Sigrid Vik, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Martin Leth-Olsen, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Siv Ødegård, MD, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Lina Ytrehus, MD

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Neonates/infants born prematurely or at term that are healthy or that have a medical contentions or that are in need of procedures that are admitted to the maternal ward or neonatal intensive care at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim, Norway.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Open fontanelle
  • Healthy preterm or term born neonates
  • Neonates with a medical condition of interest according to the different cohort studies: patent ductus arteriosus, perinatal asphyxia, stroke, pulmonary hypertension, congenital heart condition or infection/sepsis/meningitis
  • Neonates in need of procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Caregivers not understanding/speaking Norwegian or English
  • Caregivers not giving their consent

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
Intervention / Treatment
Feasibility study - Healthy neonates
Neonates born with gestational week < 32 weeks, gestational week 32-37 and at term. Will will include 20-30 of each sex in each group.
The NeoDoppler is small and light weighed constructed as a single element transducer, that can be gently fixed over the fontanelle. The system is fully compatible for cooccurring use with other intensive care equipment for neonates as well as caregiving from the parents. It is capable of measuring cerebral blood flow at different depths of the brain simultaneously. The Doppler velocity measurements arise from a cylindrical volume of tissue. It is therefore less sensitive to the exact position and angle of the probe over the fontanel to target the vessels of interest than standard hand-held Doppler. This means that the NeoDoppler system may be placed by healthcare professionals who do not have specialized training performing diagnostic ultrasound exams of the cerebral vasculature in neonates.
Patients with patent ductus arteriosus (premature infants)
Preterm neonates with patent ductus arteriosus (n=20)
The NeoDoppler is small and light weighed constructed as a single element transducer, that can be gently fixed over the fontanelle. The system is fully compatible for cooccurring use with other intensive care equipment for neonates as well as caregiving from the parents. It is capable of measuring cerebral blood flow at different depths of the brain simultaneously. The Doppler velocity measurements arise from a cylindrical volume of tissue. It is therefore less sensitive to the exact position and angle of the probe over the fontanel to target the vessels of interest than standard hand-held Doppler. This means that the NeoDoppler system may be placed by healthcare professionals who do not have specialized training performing diagnostic ultrasound exams of the cerebral vasculature in neonates.
Different groups of sick neonates
Neonates with different medical conditions such as perinatal asphyxia, stroke, pulmonary hypertension and congenital heart disease will be conducted. We will include 5-30 neonates in each group.
The NeoDoppler is small and light weighed constructed as a single element transducer, that can be gently fixed over the fontanelle. The system is fully compatible for cooccurring use with other intensive care equipment for neonates as well as caregiving from the parents. It is capable of measuring cerebral blood flow at different depths of the brain simultaneously. The Doppler velocity measurements arise from a cylindrical volume of tissue. It is therefore less sensitive to the exact position and angle of the probe over the fontanel to target the vessels of interest than standard hand-held Doppler. This means that the NeoDoppler system may be placed by healthcare professionals who do not have specialized training performing diagnostic ultrasound exams of the cerebral vasculature in neonates.
Neonates/infants undergoing procedures
Neonates/infants undergoing procedures such as intubation, anesthesia, spinal puncture, peripheral and central arterial and venous catheter. We will include 20-30 neonates.
The NeoDoppler is small and light weighed constructed as a single element transducer, that can be gently fixed over the fontanelle. The system is fully compatible for cooccurring use with other intensive care equipment for neonates as well as caregiving from the parents. It is capable of measuring cerebral blood flow at different depths of the brain simultaneously. The Doppler velocity measurements arise from a cylindrical volume of tissue. It is therefore less sensitive to the exact position and angle of the probe over the fontanel to target the vessels of interest than standard hand-held Doppler. This means that the NeoDoppler system may be placed by healthcare professionals who do not have specialized training performing diagnostic ultrasound exams of the cerebral vasculature in neonates.
Neonates with infection/sepsis
Infants with infection/sepsis and/or meningitis (n=40).
The NeoDoppler is small and light weighed constructed as a single element transducer, that can be gently fixed over the fontanelle. The system is fully compatible for cooccurring use with other intensive care equipment for neonates as well as caregiving from the parents. It is capable of measuring cerebral blood flow at different depths of the brain simultaneously. The Doppler velocity measurements arise from a cylindrical volume of tissue. It is therefore less sensitive to the exact position and angle of the probe over the fontanel to target the vessels of interest than standard hand-held Doppler. This means that the NeoDoppler system may be placed by healthcare professionals who do not have specialized training performing diagnostic ultrasound exams of the cerebral vasculature in neonates.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cerebral Doppler velocities (cm/second)
Time Frame: 2 hours - 7 days
Cerebral Doppler velocities measured in cm/sec is generated by tracing of the Doppler spectrum.
2 hours - 7 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Measurement quality
Time Frame: 2 hours - 7 days

Quality indicator:

Defined as a scale from 0-100% where 100% is the best possible Doppler spectrum quality. Values below 80% is below the threshold of good enough quality to be used as valid measurements in the study.

2 hours - 7 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Siri Ann Nyrnes, MD, PhD, Childrens Clinic, St. Olavs University Hospital and NTNU
  • Study Director: Øyvind Rognmo, PhD, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

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)

October 20, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 23, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 16, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

October 17, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 22, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

Anonymous ultrasound data can be shared on reasonable request

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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