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Special Interest Group and Committee News

Imaging in Pregnancy SIG Reports from Washington, DC

Tony Borrell, MD, PhD
 [email protected]

On Monday July 13, a Pregnancy Imaging SIG lunch meeting was held in Washington. It was clear to most of the attendants that the main aim of our SIG is to promote professional education of Fetal Imaging specialists (MFM, radiologists and radiographers) in Genetics, given that imaging allows the detection and characterization of prenatal dysmorphology. In a few words, our SIG is attempting to cover the distance between Ultrasound and Genetics. A second aim would be to attract MFM specialists to participate to our society (ISPD) and conferences, bearing in mind that professionals tend to be more attached to their specialty societies, rather than multidisciplinary teams, such as ISPD

Many ideas were suggested from the audience for next pre congress courses: to make them more modern, with more interactive sessions and therefore more attractive, including other imaging modalities, such as MRI and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound. 3D Ultrasound was actually the center of further suggestions: we were advised to include training on 3D spatial recognition systems to diagnose genetic syndromes, on 3D printed prosthetics, and a workshop on already acquired 3D volumes of normal and abnormal fetuses providing several laptops to participants for hands-on sessions on Fetal Brain and Face for instance. Two other ideas were also suggested: a full audience discussion on difficult and interesting cases presented mainly by ultrasound images and Counseling issues. Given that 2 new SIGs (Ethics and Counseling) exist, collaboration in multidisciplinary schemes is mandatory.

The SIG also discussed on its non-educational aims and future plans. A working group has written systematic reviews on the incremental yield of microarrays in fetal heart defects and in increased NT. A position statement on US soft markers was similarly proposed a couple of years ago, and ISUOG was contacted in order to produce a joint statement. Finally, it is planned to produce genetic work-up algorithms during the following year on increased NT, fetal hydrops and severe IUGR.
 

Genetic Counseling SIG Holds its Inaugural Meeting

Judith Jackson, MS
[email protected]

With the help of 133 genetic counselors from countries such as Russia, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Australia, ISPD’s International Conference was the most highly attended ISPD conference ever.  This was the first year ISPD included a Genetic Counseling SIG, and our first meeting drew approximately 100 participants. Dr. Diana Bianchi kicked off the inaugural meeting and encouraged genetic counselors to play an active role in ISPD. She credited Dr. Jan MM van Lith, the past president of ISPD, with the idea that the society should include genetic counselors and create a SIG dedicated to our interests. The society values  counselors’ unique perspectives. Kate Zellmer, CGC, presented a brief history of genetic counseling as well as the international development of genetic counselor training programs. Currently there are 61 genetic counseling programs worldwide, 25 of which are outside of North America. The need for more prenatal genetic counselors and training programs was discussed by Dr. Dora Gilda Mayen, a geneticist from Mexico. She would like to promote use of counselors, but no educational programs currently exist in Mexico. Genetic counselors also discussed the difficulties associated with practicing in a country other than where they trained. The ISPD Genetic Counseling SIG plans to continue to foster discussions and assist in developing strategies to resolve genetic counseling issues. It also plans on collaborating with NSGC’s international and prenatal SIGs. If you have thoughts about topics you would like presented at future conferences, or have interest in ISPD’s genetic counseling SIG please contact Judy Jackson at [email protected] (United States) or Charlotta Ingvoldstad at [email protected] (Sweden).

ISPD Launches Membership Committee

Louise E. Wilkins-Haug, MD, PhD
[email protected]

Help us gain and retain members for ISPD!

As an international organization, membership in ISPD presents unique advantages as well as challenges.  Those individuals focused on the specialized, genetic care of the mother and her fetus represent  a unique subset of those who also perform ultrasound, genetic laboratory testing, maternal fetal medicine and fetal therapy. ISPD offers a common ground where the expansion of knowledge for the advancement of prenatal genetic information is presented, debated and critiqued.
One’s ability to remain current is increasingly being challenged as genetic technologies rapidly advance clinical care important to the care of the mother and fetus. Membership in ISPD provides ongoing opportunities to receive the latest updates at the annual meeting, participate in consensus building position statements and be involved in special interest groups focused on high visibility areas.

We are currently seeking new members for the Membership workgroup to help us remain responsive to the needs of the ISPD membership and productive with new approaches to providing advantages to their participation in this global community. In addition to an ongoing project to bring an education arm to the web site for ISPD members, highlights of membership include:

  1. Reduced rates to access to the annual meeting materials via web streaming (power points with audio) to bring the meeting to those unable to attend
  2. Discounted rates for the annual meeting
  3. Participation in one six Special Interest Groups
    • Fetal Therapy
    • Imaging
    • Ethics
    • Genetic Counseling
    • Screening
    • Laboratory Techniques
  4. Discounted rates for the journal Prenatal Diagnosis

Please complete the membership survey recently circulated, consider joining the membership workgroup and support ISPD by renewing your membership renewing your membership on an annual basis.  
 

The Ethics of Reproductive Testing and Fetal Therapy SIG Co-Sponsors Preconference Course

Wybo Dondorp, PhD
[email protected]

The Ethics of Reproductive Testing and Fetal Therapy SIG of ISPD was formally launched at the annual conference in Washington with a well-attended precongress course (together with the SIG laboratory techniques) and an ‘inaugural’ SIG business meeting.

The precongress course covered a broad range of current developments including NIPT-based aneuploidy screening, arrays and sequencing in prenatal and preimplantation diagnosis, and expanded preconception carrier screening. Each of those topics was discussed both from a ‘state of the art’ and an ethics perspective, focusing on issues of consent and counseling (also with input from the SIG genetic counseling), interests of relevant stakeholders including the future child, and responsibilities of professionals and public health authorities. The lively discussions significantly contributed to a successful day. 

The ‘inaugural’ meeting of the SIG attracted more than 50 participants from all walks in the ISPD community. The meeting was chaired by Wybo Dondorp and Ainsley Newson, the SIG’s current coordinators. Tasks of the SIG will be to organize further precongress courses and contribute to the programme of ISPD conferences, as well as to develop educational content, also for the ISPD website. As the SIG matures it may potentially be involved in drafting ISPD guidelines or statements and serve as a resource or clearinghouse for discussing ethical dilemmas that arise in the society. The aim of the meeting was to explore further ideas and expectations with regard to the SIG. Many suggestions were made, reflecting concept-driven (e.g. ‘right not to know’), practical (e.g. ways of dealing with incidental findings), and educational needs (approaches to ethics of prenatal testing). Several proposals were also made for future precongress courses, including a ‘bioethics primer’ and ‘emerging issues in fetal therapy’. For those interested, the minutes of the inaugural meeting of the SIG are available here. 

In liaison with the ISPD board, the coordinators will work out plans for the upcoming Berlin meeting. They can be reached via [email protected] and [email protected]