Ultrasound in the Fetal Cardiovascular Examination

Prof. Helena Gardiner is a cardiologist and a professor at the University of Texas in Houston (USA). Previously, she was Reader and Director of the Perinatal Cardiology programme at Imperial College in London. She leads in perinatal cardiology at the Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Fetal Medicine Centre and is honorary consultant the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. Her expertise lie with ultrasound and fetal therapy. She has pioneered the evaluation of new imaging techniques and fetal cardiac interventions through her involvement with the European Paediatric Cardiology Association. She founded a charity,Tiny Tickers, to improve sonographer education and expertise in cardiac screening throughout the UK. She also has a special interest in monochorionic twins and TTS as well as cardiovasular effects on in-utero surgery.

Notable Publications:

Eliasson H, Sonesson SE, Sharland G, Granath F, Simpson JM, Carvalho JS, Jicinska H, Tomek V, Dangel J, Zielinsky P, Respondek-Liberska M, Freund MW, Mellander M, Bartrons J, Gardiner HM; Fetal Working Group of the European Association of Pediatric Cardiology. “Isolated atrioventricular block in the fetus: a retrospective, multinational, multicenter study of 175 patients”. Circulation.124(18) (2011) 1919-26.

Gardiner HM, Barlas A, Matsui H, Diemert A, Taylor MJO, Preece J, Gordon F, Greenwald SE Hecher K.  “Vascular programming in twins: the effects of chorionicity and fetal therapy for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.” Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 3(3) (2012) 182–189. 

Country: USA

Field: Fetal Cardiology

Specialties: Fetal heart

Language: English

ISUOG Board Member (2000-2010)
ISUOG President (2006-2008)
Editor of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (since 2003), Deputy Editor-in-Chief since 2011 and Chairman of the 19th World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (13-17 September 2009, Hamburg)

Country: Germany

Field: Obstetrics

Specialties: Fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; fetal interventional procedures; multiple pregnancy

Languages: English; German

Dr Kai-Sven Heling is a Specialist in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatal Medicine, working at the Clinic for Obstetrics and Gynecology  Charité, Humboldt University.  He graduated with a medical qualification from Humboldt University in Berlin in 1992, and pursued further education by taking up a Medical doctorate and Privatdozenten degrees. Since 1996 Dr Kai-Sven Heling is a member of the German Ultrasound Society (DEGUM) where he was President from 2016 to 2018). Dr Heling currently holds the position of Vice – President at the Society.

Research expertise

Prof. Geipel’s research is focused on complex prenatal surgeries, fetal cardiology, pregnancy after assisted reproduction, and complicated multiple pregnancies. She takes care of women with high-risk pregnancies and fetal malformations. In collaboration with her medical co-workers and researchers from interdisciplinary fields Prof. Geipel improved successfully technical aspects of prenatal diagnostic procedures and minimal-invasive fetal treatment like shunting and fetal cardiac interventions.

Postgraduate professional career

• 07/ 2005-present  Head of the Division of Prenatal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, University of Bonn, Germany
• 2005 Level III expert of the German Society of Ultrasound in Medicine,Section Gynecology and Obstetrics
• 09/ 2002 Specialist in High-risk Obstetrics and Perinatal Medicine
• 07/ 2002 Consultant, Department of Obstetrics and Prenatal Medicine, University of Bonn, Germany
• 11/ 2000 Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology
• 02/95-11/00 Assistant physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Lübeck, Germany

Academic qualifications

• 11/ 2011 Extraordinary Professorship, Medical University of Bonn
• 12/ 2004 Habilitation (Private Lecturer for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Habilitation thesis: ,,Special aspects of prenatal diagnosis in the thirst and second           trimester in pregnancies after assisted conception’’)
• 07/1995 Medical doctor, MD

Memberships and professional appointments

• German Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (DEGUM), Board member (since 10/2017)
• International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG)
• German Society of Prenatal Medicine and Obstetrics (DGPGM), Board member (since 06/ 2016)
• German Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (DGGG), elected board member (since 10/2019)

Reviewer Activity

• American Journal of Medical Genetics, American Journal of Obstetrics and
• Gynecology, Human Reproduction, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ultrasound in
• Obstetrics and Gynecology, Prenatal Diagnosis, Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy,
• Ultraschall in der Medizin, Der Gynäkologe, Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde

Publications (Stand 02/2019)

118 Original works

24 Case reports

30 Reviews

30 Book contributions

IF 361,18