Group leader: Irene Diez, M.D., Ph.D.

Donostialdea IHO irene.diezitza@osakidetza.eus

Strategic Objectives

• To design a protocol for extracting circulating foetal DNA in maternal plasma based on microfluidic technology and the adaptation of current diagnostic protocols for aneuploidy, sex of foetus, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Cystic Fibrosis, Achondroplasia and beta-thalassemia to microfluidic technology.
• To develop an innovative sensor technology using a new device to continuously measure pH and/or lactate, which is small in size and low cost, so that it can be disposable.
• To assess the degree to which this new technology matches the usual biochemical determinations in the blood. This new technology would represent an improvement on the features of currently used methods in monitoring of foetal heart rate (FHR), responding to the detected needs.
• To fit out the device’s electronic management. Study of energy consumption efficiency.
• To compare the degree of post-partum maternal depression and anxiety in women who have just given birth and been discharged early, as opposed to the usual discharge after 48-72 hours.
• To compare the proportion of maternal and neonatal complications in women who have just given birth and been discharged early, as opposed to the usual discharge after 48-72 hours.
• To compare the type of feeding, the duration of breast-feeding and the problems that arise to that effect in women who have just given birth and been discharged early, as opposed to being discharged after 48-72 hours.
• To compare the level of satisfaction with the treatment received in women who have just given birth and been discharged early, as opposed to the usual discharge after 48-72 hours.
• To carry out a cost study (hospital and non-hospital) between patients who have been discharged early compared with being discharged after 48-72 hours.
• To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the pulsatility index (PI) of the uterine artery in low risk nulliparous women to predict pre-eclampsia.
• To identify the optimum cut-off point of the PI of the uterine artery for early diagnosis of pre-eclampsia.
• To analyse the association of the PI of the uterine artery with the appearance of complications related to pre-eclampsia.
• To analyse the association of maternal characteristics (contraceptive method prior to pregnancy, type of pregnancy, MAP, weight at the start of pregnancy, height, BMI, smoker, weight gain up to week 32-34) with the test’s validity.
• To analyse the association between the examiner and the test’s validity.
• To assess the frequency of the standardisation of the increase in PI between the first or second term and the third term, and whether that standardisation is related to an increase in the risk of pre-eclampsia and/or associated complications (intrauterine growth restriction -IUGR-, placental abruption, gestational hypertension, babies that are small for gestational age -SGA- and stillbirth).
• Assessment of the anatomical and functional results of prolapse surgery.
• Assessment of the complications after prolapse surgery, including the appearance of de novo symptomatology.
• Study of the risk factors that play a part in the recurrence of prolapse surgery.
• To assess the prevalence of mechanical, urinary and defecatory symptoms in patients with surgical indication of pelvic organ prolapse (POP).
• To analyse the correlation of mechanical, urinary and defecatory symptoms and the degree of POP.
• To study the distribution with regard to the frequency, type and severity of the urinary symptoms, of patients with pelvic organ prolapse symptoms in which surgery has been indicated, before applying the surgical procedure.
• To study the impact of surgery in patients with POP and hidden stress urinary incontinence (SUI), according to the primarily applied surgical strategy: POP surgery only versus POP surgery combined with SUI surgery.

Main lines of research

• Prenatal diagnosis: A New GEnetic LABoratory for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis.
• Continuous monitoring of pH and/or lactate through an implantable micro-sensor in an animal vault.
• Early post-partum discharge: Assessment of maternal and neonatal complications. Impact on maternal anxiety and post-partum depression.
• Validation of the pulsatility index of the uterine artery in the early diagnosis of pre-eclampsia in low-risk primigravidae.
• Pelvic organ prolapse:
  • Assessment of the symptoms associated with prolapse.
  • Risk factors involved in the recurrence of prolapse after surgical treatment.