DIFFUSION WEIGHTED MRI FINDINGS IN FETUSES WITH AND WITHOUT FETAL GROWTH RESTRICTION

August 18, 2026 updated by: Doruk Cevdi Katlan, Istanbul Training and Research Hospital

COMPARISON OF DIFFUSION WEIGHTED MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FINDINGS IN FETUSES WITH AND WITHOUT FETAL GROWTH RESTRICTION: THE IMPACT OF MIDDLE CEREBRAL ARTERY DOPPLER FINDINGS

This prospective observational study aims to compare fetal brain diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) findings in fetuses with and without fetal growth restriction (FGR) and to evaluate the association between middle cerebral artery (MCA) Doppler findings and regional apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values.

Participants will be classified into three groups: fetuses with FGR and normal MCA Doppler findings, fetuses with FGR and MCA Doppler redistribution, and appropriately grown for gestational age (AGA) healthy control fetuses with normal Doppler findings. Fetal DWI will be performed using a 1.5-Tesla MRI scanner, and ADC values will be measured in predefined brain regions, including the frontal, occipital, and temporal white matter, thalamus, pons, cerebellar hemispheres, and centrum semiovale.

The primary objective is to compare regional ADC values between fetuses with FGR and healthy controls. The secondary objective is to determine whether ADC values differ between FGR fetuses with normal MCA Doppler findings and those with MCA Doppler redistribution. The study also aims to evaluate the relationship between ADC values, gestational age, fetal biometric measurements, and Doppler parameters.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

Conditions

Conditions

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Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

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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 (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.
120

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

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Recruiting
        • Istanbul Training and Research Hospital Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Nebahat Uzunay

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Pregnant women with singleton pregnancies between 28 and 38 weeks of gestation who are followed at the Perinatology and Obstetrics and Gynecology outpatient clinics will be recruited. The study population will include pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR) and healthy control pregnancies with fetuses appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Participants will be classified into three groups according to fetal growth and middle cerebral artery (MCA) Doppler findings: FGR with normal MCA Doppler findings, FGR with MCA Doppler redistribution, and AGA healthy controls with normal Doppler findings.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Singleton pregnancy
  • Gestational age between 28 and 38 weeks
  • Maternal age between 18 and 45 years
  • For the FGR groups: estimated fetal weight (EFW) below the 10th percentile and/or abdominal circumference (AC) below the 10th percentile
  • For the control group: EFW and AC between the 10th and 90th percentiles, normal fetal Doppler findings, and no major structural anomaly on fetal anatomical examination
  • Written informed consent for participation in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Multiple pregnancy
  • Major fetal structural anomaly or diagnosed chromosomal abnormality
  • Contraindication to MRI, such as an MRI-incompatible implant
  • Maternal uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, significant thyroid disease, severe uncontrolled chronic hypertension, or other significant systemic chronic disease
  • Maternal age below 18 or above 45 years
  • Inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent or cooperate with study procedures

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.
AGA - Normal MCA
Appropriate for gestational age fetuses with normal MCA Doppler
Diagnostic test: Diffusion-weighted fetal brain MRI
Fetal diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) will be performed using a 1.5-Tesla MRI scanner. Diffusion-weighted images will be acquired with b-values of 0 and 1000 s/mm², and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps will be generated. Region-of-interest (ROI)-based ADC measurements will be obtained from predefined fetal brain regions.
FGR - Normal MCA
Growth restricted fetuses with normal MCA Doppler
Diagnostic test: Diffusion-weighted fetal brain MRI
Fetal diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) will be performed using a 1.5-Tesla MRI scanner. Diffusion-weighted images will be acquired with b-values of 0 and 1000 s/mm², and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps will be generated. Region-of-interest (ROI)-based ADC measurements will be obtained from predefined fetal brain regions.
FGR - Abnormal MCA
Growth restricted fetuses with abnormal MCA Doppler
Diagnostic test: Diffusion-weighted fetal brain MRI
Fetal diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) will be performed using a 1.5-Tesla MRI scanner. Diffusion-weighted images will be acquired with b-values of 0 and 1000 s/mm², and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps will be generated. Region-of-interest (ROI)-based ADC measurements will be obtained from predefined fetal brain regions.

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
Regional Fetal Brain Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) Values
Time Frame: At the time of fetal MRI examination (28-38 weeks of gestation)
Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values will be measured using region-of-interest (ROI) analysis on fetal diffusion-weighted MRI in the frontal, occipital, and temporal white matter, thalamus, pons, cerebellar hemispheres, and centrum semiovale. Mean ADC values will be compared among fetuses with FGR and normal MCA Doppler, fetuses with FGR and MCA Doppler redistribution, and AGA healthy controls. ADC values will be expressed in mm²/s.
At the time of fetal MRI examination (28-38 weeks of gestation)

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.
Istanbul Training and Research Hospital

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.
March 26, 2026

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.
December 1, 2029

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.
December 1, 2030

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).
August 13, 2026

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.
August 13, 2026

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.
August 18, 2026

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 20, 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.
August 18, 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.
August 1, 2026

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.
  • ISTANBUL TRH - 26.03.2026 - 69

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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