Preventing stillbirths: Impact of routine screening for vasa praevia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Maternal and neonatal outcomes in screening for vasa praevia in a routinely screened population
IRAS ID
260634
Contact name
Ranjit Akolekar
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
Vasa praevia is a condition that occurs when fetal blood vessels run near the internal cervical os unsupported by either the umbilical cord or placental tissue. The lack of antenatal diagnosis is associated with a high-risk of perinatal mortality or morbidity. In the case of rupturing of vasa praevia, it will lead to rapid blood loss resulting in fetal exsanguination whereas if an antenatal diagnosis is confirmed then there is a significant improvement in perinatal survival ranging from 93-100%.
There is an increasing emphasis on reducing stillbirth and identifying an effective and appropriate management strategy of pregnancies at risk of vasa praevia or with a confirmed diagnosis of vasa praevia, as this will contribute to a reduction in the rate of stillbirths by up to 10%. The failure to diagnose these pregnancies contributes to a group of unexplained stillbirths as the majority of these cases may go unrecognised.
There is evidence that vasa praevia can be predicted and diagnosed accurately in antenatal period using ultrasound. The diagnosis of vasa praevia when performed trans-vaginally with colour Doppler is with a good sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 99-99.8%. However, there is no national guidance on identification, diagnosis or management of vasa praevia. The use of trans-vaginal ultrasound screening is not a part of routine antenatal care
The aim of this study is to determine a screening protocol to aid early detection of vasa praevia. This study will help to look at the feasibility of this screening process and compare maternal and fetal outcomes with those who have been screened for vasa praevia.
REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A