ERN eUROGEN Webinar 113: Dorsal cloaca and its fate; key in formation of ano-rectal malformations?

This webinar was presented by Jill Hikspoors who works as an assistant professor at the Department of Anatomy & Embryology, Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Her research focusses on the establishment of an interactive three-dimensional topographic atlas of prenatal development. The combination of developed 3D-technologies allows her to quantify and visualize human organ development as a dynamic developmental process. Besides the generation of a developmental timeline of the embryonic heart and GI-tract, she currently is involved in the generation of dynamic models of prenatal pelvic growth of both females and males to determine if changes in growth rate lead to ano-rectal malformations.

She presented the webinar together with Ruben Visschers, who works as a pediatric surgeon and gastro-intestinal surgeon in the Maastricht University Medical Centre and Uniklinik Aachen. His area of interest ranges from intestinal congenital disorders such as ARM and Hirschsprung's disease to acquired conditions such as IBD. There is a special focus on functional bowel disorders. Additionally, he is involved in the development of minimal invasive surgery, especially robotic surgery, for children. He also focuses on transitional care for children and adolescents with congenital abnormalities.

The dorsal cloaca is currently described as an integral part of the anorectum. Our earlier studies demonstrated that the ventral part of the cloaca is a growth zone between 5-7 weeks of development, whereas the dorsal cloaca is a non-growth zone. As anorectal malformations are relatively common in newborns (1:~5,000), this study aims to detect if the fate of the dorsal cloaca plays a role in these malformations.

The Colorectal webinar series covers all aspects of paediatric colorectal surgery. They are joint presentations between ERNs eUROGEN and ERNICA and are supported by both EUPSA and ARM-Net.

eUROGEN is the ERN for rare and complex urogenital diseases and conditions (www.eurogen-ern.eu).

ERNICA is the ERN for rare Inherited and Congenital (digestive and gastrointestinal) Anomalies (https://ern-ernica.eu).

ARM-Net is a group of professionals and patient representatives that aim to exchange data and knowledge to improve clinical care and to perform research on congenital anorectal malformations (https://www.arm-net.eu).

EUPSA promotes surgical care for the paediatric patients in Europe and enhances the capacity of its members to gain new knowledge to the benefit of their patients, along the highest ethical standards in paediatric surgery (www.eupsa.info)

ERN eUROGEN is a European Reference Network (ERN) approved by the ERN Board of Member States (BoMS). For more information about the ERNs and the EU health strategy, please see https://health.ec.europa.eu/european-reference-networks_en

Disclaimer: The ERNs are funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed in this webinar are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor HaDEA can be held responsible for them.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro slides
01:39 Introduction by ERN eUROGEN Programme Manager (Michelle Battye)
06:23 Presentation by Jill Hikspoors
32:20 Presentation by Ruben Visschers
47:18 Discussion