scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Author

Elisenda Eixarch

Bio: Elisenda Eixarch is an academic researcher from University of Barcelona. The author has contributed to research in topics: Gestational age & Medicine. The author has an hindex of 32, co-authored 152 publications receiving 4297 citations. Previous affiliations of Elisenda Eixarch include Imperial College London & Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona.


Papers
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that FGR induces primary cardiac and vascular changes that could explain the increased predisposition to cardiovascular disease in adult life and the impact of strategies with beneficial effects on cardiac remodeling should be explored in children with FGR.
Abstract: Background—Fetal growth restriction (FGR) affects 5% to 10% of newborns and is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in adulthood. The most commonly accepted hypothesis is that fetal metabolic programming leads secondarily to diseases associated with cardiovascular disease, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Our main objective was to evaluate the alternative hypothesis that FGR induces primary cardiac changes that persist into childhood. Methods and Results—Within a cohort of fetuses with growth restriction identified in fetal life and followed up into childhood, we randomly selected 80 subjects with FGR and compared them with 120 normally grown fetuses, matched for gender, birth date, and gestational age at birth. Cardiovascular assessment was performed in childhood (mean age of 5 years). Compared with control subjects, children with FGR had a different cardiac shape, with increased transversal diameters and more globular cardiac ventricles. Although left ejection fraction was similar among the study groups, stroke volume was reduced significantly, which was compensated for by an increased heart rate to maintain output in severe FGR. This was associated with subclinical longitudinal systolic dysfunction (decreased myocardial peak velocities) and diastolic changes (increased E/E ratio and E deceleration time). Children with FGR also had higher blood pressure and increased intima-media thickness. For all parameters evaluated, there was a linear increase with the severity of growth restriction. Conclusions—These findings suggest that FGR induces primary cardiac and vascular changes that could explain the increased predisposition to cardiovascular disease in adult life. If these results are confirmed, the impact of strategies with beneficial effects on cardiac remodeling should be explored in children with FGR. (Circulation. 2010;121:2427-2436.)

376 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The relative effect of the maternal and fetal characteristics were found to be very similar to that reported in previous studies.

328 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: IUGR fetuses showed signs of cardiac dysfunction from early stages with the progression of fetal compromise, together with the appearance of biochemical signs of cell damage.

240 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assessed cardiac function and cell damage in intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) fetuses across clinical Doppler stages of deterioration, and found that myocardial cell damage was assessed by heart fatty acid binding protein, troponin-I, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

233 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: To assess the neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age of children who had been small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) term babies with cerebral blood flow redistribution, a cerebrospinal fluid replacement study was conducted.
Abstract: Objective To assess the neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age of children who had been small-for-gestational-age (SGA) term babies with cerebral blood flow redistribution. Methods Perinatal outcome was assessed in a cohort of 97 term singleton appropriate-for-gestational-age and 125 term singleton SGA fetuses with normal umbilical artery Doppler, stratified according to the presence of cerebral blood flow redistribution. Neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed prospectively at 2 years of age by means of the 24-month Age & Stage Questionnaire (ASQ). Results Of the 125 SGA fetuses, 25 had redistribution of the cerebral blood flow, and 100 did not. There were no significant differences in perinatal outcome between these two SGA groups. At 2 years of age, children who had been SGA fetuses with middle cerebral artery (MCA) pulsatility index (PI) < 5th centile had a higher incidence of suboptimal neurodevelopmental outcome compared with those with normal MCA-PI (52% vs. 31%; P = 0.049) and a lower mean centile in communication (53.1 vs. 67.4; P = 0.006) and problem-solving (39.7 vs. 47.4; P = 0.04) areas. Conclusion SGA fetuses with cerebral blood flow redistribution have a higher risk of subtle neurodevelopmental deficits at 2 years of age. This challenges the concept that fetal cerebral redistribution is an entirely protective mechanism and suggests MCA-PI as a risk stratifying factor for adverse neurodevelopmental outcome. Copyright © 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

229 citations


Cited by
More filters
Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2010

5,842 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
04 Jul 2013-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: This work has developed a graph-theoretical network visualization toolbox, called BrainNet Viewer, to illustrate human connectomes as ball-and-stick models, and helps researchers to visualize brain networks in an easy, flexible and quick manner.
Abstract: The human brain is a complex system whose topological organization can be represented using connectomics. Recent studies have shown that human connectomes can be constructed using various neuroimaging technologies and further characterized using sophisticated analytic strategies, such as graph theory. These methods reveal the intriguing topological architectures of human brain networks in healthy populations and explore the changes throughout normal development and aging and under various pathological conditions. However, given the huge complexity of this methodology, toolboxes for graph-based network visualization are still lacking. Here, using MATLAB with a graphical user interface (GUI), we developed a graph-theoretical network visualization toolbox, called BrainNet Viewer, to illustrate human connectomes as ball-and-stick models. Within this toolbox, several combinations of defined files with connectome information can be loaded to display different combinations of brain surface, nodes and edges. In addition, display properties, such as the color and size of network elements or the layout of the figure, can be adjusted within a comprehensive but easy-to-use settings panel. Moreover, BrainNet Viewer draws the brain surface, nodes and edges in sequence and displays brain networks in multiple views, as required by the user. The figure can be manipulated with certain interaction functions to display more detailed information. Furthermore, the figures can be exported as commonly used image file formats or demonstration video for further use. BrainNet Viewer helps researchers to visualize brain networks in an easy, flexible and quick manner, and this software is freely available on the NITRC website (www.nitrc.org/projects/bnv/).

3,048 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The revised sex-specific actual-age growth charts are based on the recommended growth goal for preterm infants, the fetus, followed by the term infant, and may support an improved transition of preterm infant growth monitoring to the WHO growth charts.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to revise the 2003 Fenton Preterm Growth Chart, specifically to: a) harmonize the preterm growth chart with the new World Health Organization (WHO) Growth Standard, b) smooth the data between the preterm and WHO estimates, informed by the Preterm Multicentre Growth (PreM Growth) study while maintaining data integrity from 22 to 36 and at 50 weeks, and to c) re-scale the chart x-axis to actual age (rather than completed weeks) to support growth monitoring. Systematic review, meta-analysis, and growth chart development. We systematically searched published and unpublished literature to find population-based preterm size at birth measurement (weight, length, and/or head circumference) references, from developed countries with: Corrected gestational ages through infant assessment and/or statistical correction; Data percentiles as low as 24 weeks gestational age or lower; Sample with greater than 500 infants less than 30 weeks. Growth curves for males and females were produced using cubic splines to 50 weeks post menstrual age. LMS parameters (skew, median, and standard deviation) were calculated. Six large population-based surveys of size at preterm birth representing 3,986,456 births (34,639 births < 30 weeks) from countries Germany, United States, Italy, Australia, Scotland, and Canada were combined in meta-analyses. Smooth growth chart curves were developed, while ensuring close agreement with the data between 24 and 36 weeks and at 50 weeks. The revised sex-specific actual-age growth charts are based on the recommended growth goal for preterm infants, the fetus, followed by the term infant. These preterm growth charts, with the disjunction between these datasets smoothing informed by the international PreM Growth study, may support an improved transition of preterm infant growth monitoring to the WHO growth charts.

1,687 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a Delphi survey was conducted among an international panel of experts on early and late fetal growth restriction (FGR) to determine, by expert consensus, a definition for early FGR through Delphi procedure.
Abstract: Objective To determine, by expert consensus, a definition for early and late fetal growth restriction (FGR) through a Delphi procedure. Method A Delphi survey was conducted among an international panel of experts on FGR. Panel members were provided with 18 literature-based parameters for defining FGR and were asked to rate the importance of these parameters for the diagnosis of both early and late FGR on a 5-point Likert scale. Parameters were described as solitary parameters (parameters that are sufficient to diagnose FGR, even if all other parameters are normal) and contributory parameters (parameters that require other abnormal parameter(s) to be present for the diagnosis of FGR). Consensus was sought to determine the cut-off values for accepted parameters. Results A total of 106 experts were approached, of whom 56 agreed to participate and entered the first round, and 45 (80%) completed all four rounds. For early FGR ( 95th centile in either the UA or uterine artery) were agreed upon. For late FGR (≥ 32 weeks), two solitary parameters (AC or EFW two quartiles on growth charts and cerebroplacental ratio 95th centile) were defined. Conclusion Consensus-based definitions for early and late FGR, as well as cut-off values for parameters involved, were agreed upon by a panel of experts. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

770 citations