Publications by authors named "Thomas van Poppel"

Accurate prenatal diagnosis of coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is challenging due to high false positive rate burden and poorly understood aetiology. Despite associations with abnormal blood flow dynamics, fetal arch anatomy changes and alterations in tissue properties, its underlying mechanisms remain a longstanding subject of debate hindering diagnosis in utero. This study leverages computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and statistical shape modelling to investigate the interplay between fetal arch anatomy and blood flow alterations in CoA.

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Background: In double aortic arch (DAA), one of the arches can demonstrate atretic portions postnatally, leading to diagnostic uncertainty due to overlap with isolated right aortic arch (RAA) variants. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate the morphological evolution of different DAA phenotypes from prenatal to postnatal life using three-dimensional (3D) fetal cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and postnatal computed tomography (CT)/CMR imaging.

Methods: Three-dimensional fetal CMR was undertaken in fetuses with suspected DAA over a 6-year period (January 2016-January 2022).

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Introduction: Antenatal imaging provides clinical information regarding fetal growth and development. The additional benefit afforded by imaging for expectant parents in developing an emotional connection (bond) to the unborn baby is also acknowledged. However, the relationship between imaging and bonding is not fully understood, particularly where there are differing parental and pregnancy circumstances, for example use of advanced imaging techniques or the prenatal diagnosis of a congenital fetal condition.

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Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is common and is associated with impaired early brain development and neurodevelopmental outcomes, yet the exact mechanisms underlying these associations are unclear.

Purpose: To utilize MRI data from a cohort of fetuses with CHD as well as typically developing fetuses to test the hypothesis that expected cerebral substrate delivery is associated with total and regional fetal brain volumes.

Study Type: Retrospective case-control study.

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Background: Image-domain motion correction of black-blood contrast T2-weighted fetal cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) using slice-to-volume registration (SVR) provides high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) images of the fetal heart providing excellent 3D visualisation of vascular anomalies [1]. However, 3D segmentation of these datasets, important for both clinical reporting and the application of advanced analysis techniques is currently a time-consuming process requiring manual input with potential for inter-user variability.

Methods: In this work, we present novel 3D fetal CMR population-averaged atlases of normal and abnormal fetal cardiovascular anatomy.

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Neonatal coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a common congenital heart defect. Its antenatal diagnosis remains challenging, and its pathophysiology is poorly understood. We present a novel statistical shape modeling (SSM) pipeline to study the role and predictive value of arch shape in CoA in utero.

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Context: International variations in the rates of kidney cancer (KC) are considerable. An understanding of the risk factors for KC development is necessary to generate opportunities to reduce its incidence through prevention and surveillance.

Objective: To retrieve and summarize global incidence and mortality rates of KC and risk factors associated with its development, and to describe known familial syndromes and genetic alterations that represent biologic risk factors.

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Echocardiography, CT and MRI have a crucial role in the management of congenital heart disease (CHD) patients. All of these modalities can be presented in a 2D or a 3D rendered format. The aim of this paper is to review the key advantages and potential limitations, as well as the future challenges of a 3D approach in each imaging modality.

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Slice-to-volume registration (SVR) methods allow reconstruction of high-resolution 3D images from multiple motion-corrupted stacks. SVR-based pipelines have been increasingly used for motion correction for T2-weighted structural fetal MRI since they allow more informed and detailed diagnosis of brain and body anomalies including congenital heart defects (Lloyd et al., 2019).

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The impact of fetal motion on phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) with metric optimized gating (MOG) remains unknown, despite being a known limitation to prenatal MRI. This study aims to describe the effect of motion on fetal flow-measurements using PC-MRI with MOG and to generate a scoring-system that could be used to predict motion-corrupted datasets at the time of acquisition. Ten adult volunteers underwent PC-MRI with MOG using a motion-device to simulate reproducible in-plane motion encountered in fetuses.

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Objectives: To describe the fetal echocardiographic features of a double aortic arch (DAA) and secondly, to assess the performance of these features to differentiate between a right aortic arch with left duct (RAA-LD) in a blinded cohort of vascular rings.

Methods: Review of records to identify surgically confirmed cases of DAA diagnosed prenatally from 2014 to 2018 (cohort-A). Prenatal echocardiograms were reviewed and the segments of the aortic arches anterior and posterior to the trachea, aortic isthmuses and the presence/absence of the Z-sign were described.

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unlike anything seen before by modern science-based medicine. Health systems across the world are struggling to manage it. Added to this struggle are the effects of social confinement and isolation.

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Background: There is uncertainty in deferred active treatment (DAT) programmes, regarding patient selection, follow-up and monitoring, reclassification, and which outcome measures should be prioritised.

Objective: To develop consensus statements for all domains of DAT.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A protocol-driven, three phase study was undertaken by the European Association of Urology (EAU)-European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM)-European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO)-European Association of Urology Section of Urological Research (ESUR)-International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) Prostate Cancer Guideline Panel in conjunction with partner organisations, including the following: (1) a systematic review to describe heterogeneity across all domains; (2) a two-round Delphi survey involving a large, international panel of stakeholders, including healthcare practitioners (HCPs) and patients; and (3) a consensus group meeting attended by stakeholder group representatives.

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Background: Decipher is a genomic classifier designed to predict the development of distant metastases after surgical treatment of prostate cancer (PC). Its long-term prognostic role in a high-risk PC population has not been investigated previously.

Objective: To determine the prognostic role of the Decipher genomic classifier in two high-risk PC case-control studies.

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Background: Two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound echocardiography is the primary technique used to diagnose congenital heart disease before birth. There is, however, a longstanding need for a reliable form of secondary imaging, particularly in cases when more detailed three-dimensional (3D) vascular imaging is required, or when ultrasound windows are of poor diagnostic quality. Fetal MRI, which is well established for other organ systems, is highly susceptible to fetal movement, particularly for 3D imaging.

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Background: High-quality management of prostate cancer is needed in the fields of clinics, research, and education.

Objective: The objective of this project was to develop the concept of "European Prostate Cancer Centres of Excellence" (EPCCE), with the specific aim of identifying European centres characterised by high-quality cancer care, research, and education.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A task force of experts aimed at identifying the general criteria to define the EPCCE.

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Background: Diet- and physical activity-based interventions in pregnancy have the potential to alter maternal and child outcomes.

Objectives: To assess whether or not the effects of diet and lifestyle interventions vary in subgroups of women, based on maternal body mass index (BMI), age, parity, Caucasian ethnicity and underlying medical condition(s), by undertaking an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis. We also evaluated the association of gestational weight gain (GWG) with adverse pregnancy outcomes and assessed the cost-effectiveness of the interventions.

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Objective: To develop maternal, fetal, and neonatal composite outcomes relevant to the evaluation of diet and lifestyle interventions in pregnancy by individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis.

Design: Delphi survey.

Setting: The International Weight Management in Pregnancy (i-WIP) collaborative network.

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Context: Live surgery is an important part of surgical education, with an increase in the number of live surgery events (LSEs) at meetings despite controversy about their real educational value, risks to patient safety, and conflicts of interest.

Objective: To provide a European Association of Urology (EAU) policy on LSEs to regulate their organisation during urologic meetings.

Evidence Acquisition: The project was carried out in phases: a systematic literature review generating key questions, surveys sent to Live Surgery Panel members, and Internet- and panel-based consensus finding using the Delphi process to agree on and formulate a policy.

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Stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) produces antinociception that is modified by intrathecal alpha-adrenergic antagonists. Spinally-projecting noradrenergic neurons in the LH have not been identified, suggesting that the LH may innervate brainstem noradrenergic neurons, such as the A7 catecholamine cell group in the dorsolateral pontine tegmentum, that modify nociception at the level of the spinal cord dorsal horn. Recently we demonstrated in neuroanatomical studies that substance P-immunoreactive neurons in the LH project the A7 area.

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