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Fetal heart strain: a new way to catch growth problems in twins?

NCT ID NCT05423665

NEW Diagnosis Sponsor: University Hospital, Ghent Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 21, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026

Summary

Researchers are testing whether a heart imaging technique called speckle tracking echocardiography can help diagnose impaired fetal growth earlier in twin pregnancies. The study includes 360 pregnant women with singleton or dichorionic twin pregnancies, who are at least 18 years old and around 21 weeks pregnant. Over the course of pregnancy, researchers measure fetal heart strain and growth, take maternal blood samples to check air pollution exposure and placental markers, and collect umbilical cord blood and placenta at birth. They compare heart strain between twins, singletons, and growth patterns to see if this technique can predict growth restriction.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
speckle tracking echocardiography
What this could lead to
If it works, this could give doctors an earlier way to spot twins whose growth is falling behind, so they can monitor and plan care sooner.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, so it cannot prove that strain measurements improve outcomes. Twin pregnancies are complex, and the findings may not apply to all pregnancies.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 360 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jun 2023

Expected to finish

Feb 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

The number of subjects that will be included in this study is: 600 neonates (200 twin pairs and 200 singletons) and 400 pregnant mothers. The fetuses are divided into following sub-groups: * Appropriately grown * Fetal growth restricted * Selective fetal growth restricted (specific for twins)

Ages

18 to 45 years

Sex

Female participants only

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Singleton or dichorionic twin pregnancy * Pregnant women 21 weeks ( ± 2 weeks) of gestation at the first visit * Women ≥ 18 years Exclusion Criteria: * Women pregnant of multiples of higher order (≥3 siblings) Monochorionic twin pregnancy * Fetal arrhythmia * Known fetal congenital or genetic abnormalities * Any suspicion of congenital fetal anomalies that might influence fetal cardiac function * Pre-existing maternal hypertensive disease * Autoimmune disease including systemic lupus erythematosus * History of stillbirth * Diabetes mellitus (mother)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

fetal growth restriction placental insufficiency Ventricular Remodeling

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Air pollution Cardiac remodeling, ventricular Fetal growth restriction Placental insufficiency

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    3 sites in 2 countries. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Ghent University Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Ghent, 9000, Belgium

  • Maxima medical center

    NOT_YET_RECRUITING

    Eindhoven, 5631, Netherlands

  • Universitair ziekenhuis Leuven

    NOT_YET_RECRUITING

    Leuven, 3000, Belgium

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