Riley Children’s Health is conducting a comprehensive study to determine the best delivery options for babies with gastroschisis, a birth defect involving the stomach. Led by Dr. Hiba J. Mustafa, the study compares the outcomes of inducing delivery at 35 weeks versus carrying to observed delivery with a goal of 38 weeks.
Gastroschisis is a birth defect involving the stomach. It occurs when the muscles and skin around a baby’s belly do not form correctly during fetal development. This results in a hole through which the intestines and sometimes the stomach and/or the liver push through the outside.
At Riley Children’s Health, Hiba J. Mustafa, MD, director of fetal surgery, is spearheading a Gastroschisis Outcomes of Delivery (GOOD) study to assess the standard delivery options for babies with gastroschisis. Currently, the two standard delivery options include inducing a mother at 35 weeks or carrying to observed delivery with a goal of 38 weeks.
"This study will help us compare the two practices to determine which delivery timing maximizes treatment for both mother and baby," said Dr. Mustafa.
The GOOD study has been designed by doctors specializing in maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology, and pediatric surgery, and it is endorsed by The North American Fetal Therapy Network.
Those eligible to enroll in the study must be aged eighteen or older and have an uncomplicated gastroschisis pregnancy. Mothers participating in the study are randomly assigned to one of two groups – delivering at 35 weeks or carrying to observed delivery with a goal of 38 weeks. Mothers in the 35-week delivery group will be induced sometime during the 35th week. If a mother is in the observed delivery group, the baby will be born when the mother’s body begins labor or when induced sometime during the 38th week. Both treatments are routinely performed for pregnancies involving gastroschisis. Enrolled patients can leave the GOOD study at any time, for any reason.
Physicians and eligible patients can contact Rachel Tullar, clinical research coordinator, at rtullar@iu.edu to learn more or enroll in the study. The Fetal Center at Riley Children’s Health is involved in various other research studies through its partnership with Indiana University School of Medicine. The Fetal Center is at the forefront of what is coming next in maternal and fetal medicine.