In conversation with Professor Kypros Nicolaides
08/22/23 • 47 min
Welcome to the second episode of season two of Conversations in Fetal Medicine, where we talk to Professor Kypros Nicolaides.
Professor Kypros Nicolaides is the founder and chairman of the of The Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) which he set up in 1995. The FMF has donated more than £45 million to finance the training of doctors from around the world and to carry out major multi-centre research studies in fetal medicine. The Fetal Medicine Foundation also organises the yearly World congress in Fetal Medicine which is attended by more than 2000 participants from all over the world.
Professor Nicolaides has authored over 1500 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 30 books. He has an H-index of 183, which is the highest of any Obstetrician & Gynaecologist in the world, and has had his research cited over 135,000 times. He has provided training in Fetal Medicine to over 1000 doctors from over 50 countries.
Professor Kypros Nicolaides has developed methods of (i) screening for premature birth (which is the main cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality) by measurement of cervical length and prevention through the use of vaginal progesterone (ii) screening for pre-eclampsia (which is one of the main causes of maternal mortality) by measurement of blood flow to the uterus by Doppler and measurement of blood pressure and the hormone placental growth factor and prevention through the use of aspirin (iii) methods of early screening for chromosomal abnormalities through the measurement of nuchal translucency, and spina bifida through the ‘lemon and banana’ signs, and (iv) methods of fetal therapy including fetal blood transfusions for red cell isoimmunized pregnancies, thoraco-amniotic shunting for fetal pleural effusions, endoscopic laser surgery for identical twin pregnancies with severe twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome in collaboration with Professor Yves Ville and endoscopic placement of a balloon in the fetal trachea for the treatment of severe diaphragmatic hernia in collaboration with Professors Jan Deprest and Eduard Gratacos.
He has recently proposed a new model of pregnancy care – “Turning the Pyramid of Prenatal Care”. This aims to assess the risk for most of the relevant pregnancy complications affecting mother and unborn child during a hospital visit at 11-13 weeks of gestation and, on the basis of such risks, provide personalised care to reduce an adverse outcome.
Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kypros_Nicolaides
Kings College London page: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/kypros-nicolaides
Trailer for The Surgeon's Cut, available on Netflix: https://youtu.be/Fft5igeEIEM
We have not included any patient identifiable information, and this podcast is intended for professional education rather than patient information (although welcome anyone interested in the field to listen). Please get in touch with feedback or suggestions for future guests or topics: [email protected], or via Twitter (X) or Instagram via @fetalmedcast.
Music by Crowander ('Acoustic romance') used under creative commons licence. Podcast created, hosted and edited by Dr Jane Currie.
Welcome to the second episode of season two of Conversations in Fetal Medicine, where we talk to Professor Kypros Nicolaides.
Professor Kypros Nicolaides is the founder and chairman of the of The Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) which he set up in 1995. The FMF has donated more than £45 million to finance the training of doctors from around the world and to carry out major multi-centre research studies in fetal medicine. The Fetal Medicine Foundation also organises the yearly World congress in Fetal Medicine which is attended by more than 2000 participants from all over the world.
Professor Nicolaides has authored over 1500 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 30 books. He has an H-index of 183, which is the highest of any Obstetrician & Gynaecologist in the world, and has had his research cited over 135,000 times. He has provided training in Fetal Medicine to over 1000 doctors from over 50 countries.
Professor Kypros Nicolaides has developed methods of (i) screening for premature birth (which is the main cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality) by measurement of cervical length and prevention through the use of vaginal progesterone (ii) screening for pre-eclampsia (which is one of the main causes of maternal mortality) by measurement of blood flow to the uterus by Doppler and measurement of blood pressure and the hormone placental growth factor and prevention through the use of aspirin (iii) methods of early screening for chromosomal abnormalities through the measurement of nuchal translucency, and spina bifida through the ‘lemon and banana’ signs, and (iv) methods of fetal therapy including fetal blood transfusions for red cell isoimmunized pregnancies, thoraco-amniotic shunting for fetal pleural effusions, endoscopic laser surgery for identical twin pregnancies with severe twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome in collaboration with Professor Yves Ville and endoscopic placement of a balloon in the fetal trachea for the treatment of severe diaphragmatic hernia in collaboration with Professors Jan Deprest and Eduard Gratacos.
He has recently proposed a new model of pregnancy care – “Turning the Pyramid of Prenatal Care”. This aims to assess the risk for most of the relevant pregnancy complications affecting mother and unborn child during a hospital visit at 11-13 weeks of gestation and, on the basis of such risks, provide personalised care to reduce an adverse outcome.
Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kypros_Nicolaides
Kings College London page: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/kypros-nicolaides
Trailer for The Surgeon's Cut, available on Netflix: https://youtu.be/Fft5igeEIEM
We have not included any patient identifiable information, and this podcast is intended for professional education rather than patient information (although welcome anyone interested in the field to listen). Please get in touch with feedback or suggestions for future guests or topics: [email protected], or via Twitter (X) or Instagram via @fetalmedcast.
Music by Crowander ('Acoustic romance') used under creative commons licence. Podcast created, hosted and edited by Dr Jane Currie.
Previous Episode
In conversation with Professor Sally Collins
Welcome to the first episode of the second season of Conversations in Fetal Medicine, where we talk to Professor Sally Collins.
Sally is a Consultant Obstetrician subspecializing in Feto-Maternal Medicine
at the John Radcliffe Hospital and a Professor of Obstetrics in the Nuffield
Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford.
Sally graduated in Medicine from the University of Oxford and specialized in
Obstetrics and Gynaecology, training within the Oxford region during which
time she completed a DPhil in Obstetric Ultrasound. Sally is currently a
Consultant Obstetrician in a busy NHS Trust and has set up the Oxford FMU
tertiary referral Placenta Clinic.
She is highly research active having authored over 150 journal articles, filed
three patents and won several international research awards. She currently
holds several grants including from the NIHR and Sir Jules Thorn Trust to
develop a fully automated first trimester ultrasound screening tool for fetal
growth restriction.
Sally is also world renowned for her expertise in placenta accreta spectrum
(PAS) and is currently working with NHS England to develop a national
network for the diagnosis and management of PAS having co-authored the
RCOG and FIGO guidelines on diagnosis and management of PAS. She is
Chairperson elect of the International Society for PAS and is the lead author
on their recent evidence-based guidelines. She is a founder member of the
Oxford Placenta Accreta team (https://www.placentaaccretasspectrum.com/)
and continues to strive to improve the outcomes for women affected by this
rare, but complex and potentially lethal condition.
Websites with further details about her work and research:
https://www.wrh.ox.ac.uk/team/sally-collins
Her Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Collins
The (fabulous) PAS website we discuss in the episode: https://www.placentaaccretasspectrum.com/
We have not included any patient identifiable information, and this podcast is intended for professional education rather than patient information (although anyone is of course welcome to listen). Please get in touch with feedback or suggestions for future guests or topics: [email protected], or via Twitter (X) or Instagram via @fetalmedcast.
Music by Crowander ('Acoustic romance') used under creative commons licence. Podcast created, hosted and edited by Dr Jane Currie.
Next Episode
In conversation with Professor Jan Deprest
Welcome to the third episode of season two of Conversations in Fetal Medicine, where we talk to Professor Jan Deprest.
Jan Deprest is a leading international fetal surgeon who works two days a week at UCLH as a consultant and at UCL as a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology. At UCL he works in the Institute for Women's Health and the Translational Imaging Group. For the rest of the week he works at his home institutions, at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and its University Hospitals Leuven (Belgium). Professor Deprest is currently the academic chair of the Department of Development and Regeneration and director of the Centre for Surgical Technologies.
Clinically he is the director of the fetal surgery programme in Leuven. He trained in fetal medicine in Leuven (Belgium), St George’s Hospital London (UK), Leiden (Holland) and attended the programme at Children’s Hospital Philadelphia (PA, USA). He established the Eurofoetus consortium, which is dedicated to the development of instruments and techniques for minimally invasive fetal and placental surgery. The Leuven Fetal Medicine Team focuses on antenatal modulation of lung development, e.g. for pulmonary hypoplasia due to congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) as well as for bronchopulmonary dysplasia. He has headed several clinical studies dedicated to the prenatal prediction of survival of fetuses with isolated CDH using genetic testing, ultrasound and fetal MRI imaging. He developed a percutaneous method for fetoscopic placement of a balloon into the fetal trachea (FETO). His translational research also investigates the application of amniotic fluid derived stem cells for treating fetuses or neonates with CDH or other lung disorders, fetal membrane wound healing and brain development in fetuses exposed to steroids or anesthesia.
Bio from UCLH: https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/our-services/find-consultant/professor-jan-deprest
Bio from KU Leuven: https://www.kuleuven.be/wieiswie/en/person/00031972
ORCID record (to see his many publications): https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4920-945X
We have not included any patient identifiable information, and this podcast is intended for professional education rather than patient information (although welcome anyone interested in the field to listen). Please get in touch with feedback or suggestions for future guests or topics: [email protected], or via Twitter (X) or Instagram via @fetalmedcast.
Music by Crowander ('Acoustic romance') used under creative commons licence. Podcast created, hosted and edited by Dr Jane Currie.
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