Antenatal thymus volumes in fetuses that delivered <32 weeks gestation : an MRI pilot study
- Submitting institution
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King's College London
- Unit of assessment
- 12 - Engineering
- Output identifier
- 134949272
- Type
- D - Journal article
- DOI
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10.1111/aogs.13983
- Title of journal
- Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica
- Article number
- -
- First page
- 1
- Volume
- 0
- Issue
- 0
- ISSN
- 0001-6349
- Open access status
- Compliant
- Month of publication
- August
- Year of publication
- 2020
- URL
-
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
- -
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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14
- Research group(s)
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-
- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- Antenatal infection and inflammation, chorioamnionitis, is implicated in 80% of very preterm births, (1.4% of all deliveries). Delivery is expedited with maternal signs of infection, but there may already be fetal compromise. We are currently unable to detect fetal infection. The thymus gland involutes in animal models of infection. This novel study showed reduction in thymus size on MRI, compared to controls, in human fetuses who subsequently deliver preterm. This could provide a non- invasive marker of early fetal compromise, optimising timing of delivery and thereby decreasing neonatal morbidity and mortality, and will be tested in a larger cohort study.
- Author contribution statement
- -
- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
- -