Mibirth
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Magnetic resonance Imaging of mother and fetus in late gestation to inform and optimise birth management. The MiBIRTH study
IRAS ID
323579
Contact name
Mary Rutherford
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Kings College London
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 4 days
Research summary
In 2020 there were 464,437 births, of which one third were delivered by Emergency Caesarean Section, forceps or vacuum extraction. Such complex births are more common in older mothers, mothers who are obese and those with small or large babies. They are associated with an increase in baby's admission to the neonatal unit and mothers may suffer excessive bleeding, injuries with subsequent leaking, painful sexual intercourse and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The main reasons are concerns about baby's wellbeing and difficulties with the baby fitting through the birth canal. Before labour starts, it is currently difficult to accurately predict which babies will get into difficulty.
We plan to use a technique called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after 36 weeks of gestation to identify mothers at increased risk. This does not use radiation and is safe for both mother and baby. It is currently widely used in clinical practice to diagnose fetal abnormalities. We will scan 500 women who have a higher risk of an adverse delivery and combine measures of the maternal pelvis, fetal head and fetal position with assessment of fetal energy reserves and heart function, and placental function. We will collect clinical data, information from the labour and delivery and the mothers and baby's outcome. 8-10 weeks after birth we will contact and ask mothers for information about their physical and mental wellbeing, feeding method and baby's health.
With all available information for an individual pregnancy we will use the latest data modelling tools to determine which factors relate to a higher chance of a difficult delivery. This should provide the most valuable data required to produce an individual risk score that can be used prospectively in women at high risk. Our ultimate aim is to improve the short and long-term health and wellbeing of mothers and babies.REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/LO/0685
Date of REC Opinion
18 Sep 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion