for
Families, Children, Teens and Adults Who Are Living With The Challenges of
Congenital Anorectal, Colorectal or Urogenital Disorders
Invitation to participate in a research study regarding IVF and Bladder Exstrophy
Johns Hopkins Medical Institution
Brady Urological Institute
We are researchers in the division of pediatric urology at the Brady Urological Institute of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution. This center specializes in the care of children born with cloacal exstrohpy, bladder exstrophy, and epispadias. We also conduct laboratory and clinical research investigating the causative factors and medical needs of children with this complex of congenital defects. As part of our ongoing efforts to better understand cloacal and bladder exstrophy and epispadias, we are evaluating a potential association between the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF) technologies and the development of the cloacal-bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex.
We would like to invite families of children born with cloacal exstrophy, bladder exstrophy, or epispadias who underwent IVF to participate in our study. Participation will require a telephone-administered interview of approximately 15 minutes in length. Interview questions will pertain to parental and child perinatal health. At the conclusion of the interview, the parent would have the opportunity to provide further detail about his/her child and ask questions of the interviewer. Interviews will be conducted by Dr. Gearhart, chair of the division of pediatric urology at Johns Hopkins, or one of his associates. The results of the study will be published, but the identity of all participants will remain anonymous.
If you would like to participate, please contact the Dr. Gearhart's office by telephone, e-mail, fax, or postal mail at the information provided below. Your participation will advance our understanding of the potential causative factors of this complex of defects and may lead to prevention of such defects in future generations. Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in this study.
John Gearhart, M.D.
The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute
The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
600 N. Wolfe Street
Baltimore, MD 21287-2101
Telephone: (410) 955-5358
Fax: (410) 955-0833
E-mail: jgearhart@jhmi.edu
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