In conversation with Professor Kypros Nicolaides Artwork

Conversations in Fetal Medicine

Conversations in Fetal Medicine aims to replicate those coffee room conversations with mentors or trainers. It hopefully sits alongside all the fabulous educational materials out there, as sometimes what you want is not simply more facts, rather you need motivation and inspiration for when times are more challenging. It is aimed primarily at trainees in Fetal Medicine, but will hopefully be of interest to anyone working in the field. Some episodes may be more focussed on someone's career, others may be more centred around particular topics.

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Conversations in Fetal Medicine

In conversation with Professor Kypros Nicolaides

August 22, 2023 • Season 2 • Episode 2

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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: conversationsinfetalmed@gmail.com, 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.