P23.07: Ultrasonographic measurement of the amniotic fluid index (AFI) and causes of oligohydramnios

Abstract

Objective: To establish a world-class national research network to carry out high quality obstetric ultrasound research in Ireland. Methods: A partnership of 9 leading fetal medicine physicians from 8 maternity hospitals across Ireland was formed to establish a national obstetric ultrasound research network in Ireland. A proposal was successfully submitted to the Irish Health Research Board (HRB) and a multi-million euro award was made for the establishment and operation of the network. Results: Perinatal Ireland was established through the award and comprises 8 of the leading maternal fetal medicine centres in Ireland. The network provides a collaborative partnership and research infrastructure to carry out large-scale perinatal research projects. Together these 8 centres account for over 50,000 births per annum. The infrastructure includes formalized management structures, dedicated research equipment and personnel at each site and a full-time Programme Manager. As Perinatal Ireland was the first consortium of its kind in Ireland, some difficulties were encountered during its set up. These included difficulties in recruiting sonographers due to the poor supply of trained obstetric ultrasonographers; problems with contractual arrangements regarding their employment and the need to obtain ethical approval at each of the eight sites. Hospitals without existing academic departments, where there was less of a culture of clinical research, experienced greatest difficulty in integration into the consortium and this was reflected in their recruitment performance. Hospitals where a senior clinician had substantial executive authority seemed to facilitate integration. Conclusion: A perinatal research network was successfully established in Ireland. The consortium is currently carrying out multicentre prospective research studies in ultrasound, including evaluating the role of sonographic predictors of restricted growth in twins, and expects to report initial results in 2010. Objective: To establish a consolidated web-based database linking Viewpoint ultrasound databases at 8 sites to facilitate the efficient transfer and consolidation of research data to a central, secure web-based database. Methods: Perinatal Ireland, an 8-centre research consortium, was used as a platform to develop and implement a web-based research database. The approach was 2-fold: to create an extract of ultrasound data at each centre for uploading and to set up a secure website to which data from 8 centres could be uploaded. A merge algorithm ensures all transferred study data is up-to-date and all additional study data is added when a new dataset is uploaded. The data is stored in a common database which is viewable and queryable via specific user logons for pre-authorised IP addresses. P23.10 Establishment of a web-based consolidated ultrasound database Results:The software used to record study data contains a functionality allowing the user to extract and save data to a CSV file with the aid of an SQL-like query. Once logged in the user select...