General Pediatric Neurosurgery

PI: Limbrick

Protocol ID: 201606086

Short study title: CSF Biomarkers in Treatment of Shunt Infection

Short description: The purpose of this study is to understand the evolution of CSF microbiota over time during treatment for shunt infection. CSF will be collected then shipped to an external lab for analysis.

Key eligibility criteria:

  • Any sex, any age
  • Patients undergoing treatment for shunt infection with reservoir, EVD, subgaleal shunt, ETV

Contact person: Diego Morales, 314-454-4688, d.morales@wustl.edu

Enrollment period: Current

Pediatric Hydrocephalus

PI: Limbrick

Protocol ID: 201908133

Short study title: Endoscopic versus Shunt Treatment for Hydrocephalus in Infants

Short description: Multi-center (14 sites) RCT comparing ETV+CPC and shunt in infants with hydrocephalus. ETV+CPC offers the potential for shunt-freedom but the cognitive outcome of ETV+CPC is not known in this patient population. The goal of this study is to compare the 2 surgeries in a randomized fashion and to correlate with neurodevelopmental outcomes (Bayley III cognition, language, and motor), brain volumes, fractionated anisotropy in white matter tracts, and CSF markers.

Key eligibility criteria:

  • Any sex, age < 52 weeks corrected age
  • Hydrocephalus requiring treatment

Contact person: Diego Morales, 314-454-4688, d.morales@wustl.edu

Enrollment period: Current

PI: Limbrick

Protocol ID: 201101887

Short study title: Characterization of Discarded CSF in Ventricular Taps

Short description: The goal of this study is to identify potential biomarkers that may aid in determining the optimal timing of intervention for infants with PHH. CSF that would otherwise be discarded will be collected for proteomic analysis.

Key eligibility criteria:

  • Any sex, age 5 years and younger
  • Patient has ventricular access device and will undergo taps as clinically indicated
  • Preterm infants without PHVD undergoing LPs for sepsis evaluation with subsequent negative CSF culture

Contact person: Diego Morales, 314-454-4688, d.morales@wustl.edu

Enrollment period: August 2010 – current

PI: Limbrick

Protocol ID: 201203151

Short study title: Characterization of Discarded CSF in Hydrocephalus

Short description: The goal of this study is to identify potential biomarkers that may aid in determining diagnostic biomarkers for hydrocephalus and adequacy of treatment. This study involves obtaining blood samples and otherwise discarded CSF samples from patients undergoing neurosurgery for hydrocephalus and unrelated disorders.

Key eligibility criteria:

  • Any sex, age 5 years and younger
  • Hydrocephalus: obstructive, non-obstructive, shunt, no shunt
  • Non-hydrocephalus: IPH/IVH, tumor/lesion, TBI, pseudotumor, infection

Contact person: Diego Morales, 314-454-4688, d.morales@wustl.edu

Enrollment period: 2012 – current

PI: Limbrick

Protocol ID: 201511126

Short study title: Advanced MR Imaging in Congenital Hydrocephalus

Short description: Brain development and abnormalities associated with congenital diseases are largely unexplored in the setting of advanced MR imaging. The goal of this study is to use advanced MR imaging to better understand brain development in the setting of congenital hydrocephalus.

Key eligibility criteria:

  • Any sex, age 17 years and younger
  • Diagnosis of congenital hydrocephalus
  • Patient scheduled to undergo surgery for hydrocephalus and a clinically indicated MRI before treatment
  • Patients able to undergo two sessions of an MRI (30 minutes each). The first session will be either in the same setting as the clinically indicated pre-operative MRI or in a separate setting. The second will be after the surgery and before hospital discharge. Sedation will not be used in research-only MRIs.

Contact person: Diego Morales, 314-454-4688, d.morales@wustl.edu

Enrollment period: Current

PI: Limbrick

Protocol ID: 201011763

Short study title: Advanced MR Imaging in Preterm Infants with IVH and PHVD

Short description: There is a lack of useful short-term outcome measures in predicting outcome in preterm infants with IVH and PHVD. The goal of this study is to use advanced MRI techniques such as DTI and resting state fMRI to evaluate white matter integrity and cortical development as noninvasive biomarkers in addition to standard of care with cranial ultrasound.

Key eligibility criteria:

  • Any sex, age 5 years and younger
  • Diagnosis of germinal matrix hemorrhage-intraventricular hemorrhage and PHVD
  • Ideally patients should be identified at the time of diagnosis and followed through progression and treatment of PHVD

Contact person: Diego Morales, 314-454-4688, d.morales@wustl.edu

Enrollment period: Current

Pediatric Oncology

PI: Limbrick

Short study title: Pediatric Neurosurgery Tissue Bank

Short description: The purpose of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Tissue Bank is to collect and store tissue samples from patients undergoing surgery. These samples include benign and malignant brain/spine tumors, normal/abnormal brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), bone, blood samples, and other related tissues. Specimens will be collected from the operating room or specialized procedure room in which said tissue is removed. Biological parents and siblings are also eligible to donate blood samples. Data from this tissue bank will be used to better understand disease progression, disease biology, generate realistic animal models of disease, and help to develop newer therapies.

Protocol ID: 202002124

Key eligibility criteria:

  • Any sex, any age
  • Patients scheduled to undergo surgical resection for brain/spinal tumor, seizure focus, or brain malformation
  • Biological parents and siblings are also eligible to donate blood samples
  • Patients at end-of-life are eligible to participate through the Legacy Brain Donation Program

Contact person: Corrine Gardner, 314-454-2792, gardnerc@wustl.edu

Enrollment period: Current