In the News
As the largest and most comprehensive fetal diagnosis and treatment center in the world, The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP generates an abundance of news. Experts from the Center are featured in hundreds of news stories each year on a wide variety of topics including cutting-edge clinical practices, breakthrough medical research, healthcare trends, patient stories and more.
Here is a chronicle of recent updates from the Center. We hope you’ll check back here often to learn more about our patients, our clinical work, our research and the new ways we are reaching out to our ever-growing community.
Conjoined Twins Allison and Amelia Tucker Successfully Separated at CHOP
On Dec. 20, 2012, formerly conjoined twins Allison and Amelia Tucker were introduced to the world after being successfully separated on Nov. 7, 2012 by a 40-person multidisciplinary team led by Holly Hedrick, MD, pediatric general, thoracic and fetal surgeon at CHOP. The girls were born via planned C-section on March 1, 2012 in CHOP’s Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit, the world’s first birthing unit dedicated to mothers carrying fetuses with known birth defects.
After delivery, the girls spent their first seven weeks of life in the Harriet and Ronald Lassin Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU) before moving to a surgical step-down unit where they stayed as they made the preparations necessary for separation surgery.
Watch the Good Morning America story introducing Allison and Amelia.
The CFDT is Awarded $10,000 for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) Research
The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment was recently awarded a $10,000 research grant from CHERUBS – The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support. The grant will support the Center’s research efforts dedicated to improving outcomes for children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Learn more about the contest held by CHERUBS to select the grant recipients.
CFDT Patient Goes Home After Successful Treatment of Sacrococcygeal Teratoma (SCT)
December 4, 2012 – When the Garrett's learned that their unborn baby had a large tumor called a sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT), they turned to the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment for hope. At 34 weeks, the SCT started hemorrhaging, putting both baby Emily and her mom El at risk. Emily was born via emergency C-section in CHOP's Special Delivery Unit, where she had immediate access to specialized care and underwent surgery a day after she was born. After 34 days at CHOP, she got to go home. Watch the NBC10 story about Emily's SCT surgery.
View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.
Surgeons at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Successfully Separate Conjoined Twins
November 7, 2012 – Surgeons at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia successfully completed the separation of eight-month-old conjoined twins Allison June and Amelia Lee Tucker. The infant girls, from Adams, N.Y., were joined at the lower chest and abdomen and shared their chest wall, diaphragm, pericardium and liver. Led by Holly L. Hedrick, M.D., pediatric general, thoracic and fetal surgeon, a multidisciplinary team of approximately 40 members, including physicians, nurses and other medical staff from general surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, cardiac surgery, anesthesiology, radiology and neonatology participated in the separation, which lasted about 7 hours.
When Shellie and Greg Tucker learned that Shellie was carrying conjoined twins about 20 weeks into her pregnancy, the Tucker's came to the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment for expert evaluation and prenatal imaging. The twins were delivered on March 1 via a planned C-section in the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit. The twins have since spent their entire lives in CHOP, first in the N/IICU and then in a surgicla step-down unit to prepare for the separation surgery that was successfully completed today.
Learn more about the separation surgery.
Fetal MMC Repair Defining New Standards of Care for Fetal Intervention
October 17, 2012 – Doctors from the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment are featured in a recent Ob.Gyn. News article that examines how the results of the MOMS trial are shaping the future of fetal surgery and intervention. The article discusses how prenatal spina bifida repair is bringing new attention to the highly specialized field of fetal surgery and establishing new standards of care in fetal medicine, with a focus on the importance of dedicated, multidisciplinary teams and experienced fetal centers that treat a high volume of cases.
Read “Myelomenigocele Repair Drives Changes in Fetal Surgery” on ObGynNews.com.
The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Welcomes Two New Team Members
September 18, 2012 – The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment (CFDT), a world leader in fetal surgery and therapy, announces two new members of its team, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist Juan Luis Martinez-Poyer, MD, and General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgeon William Hughes Peranteau, MD.
Learn more about the newest members of the CFDT team.
Coping Skills and Marital Satisfaction Help Pregnant Mothers Manage Stress of Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Defects
September 7, 2012 – Expectant mothers who learn from prenatal diagnosis that they are carrying a fetus with a congenital heart defect (CHD) commonly suffer post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety. However, a healthy relationship with one’s partner and positive coping mechanisms can reduce this intense stress, according to new research from the Cardiac Center of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The study is published in the September 2012 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics.
“Receiving the news of carrying a fetus with a CHD is a stressful event which can potentially influence a mother’s anxiety level,” said study leader Jack Rychik, M.D., medical director of the Fetal Heart Program in the Cardiac Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Prenatal diagnosis is helpful in that it gives parents time to learn about the defect, review treatment options, plan for necessary interventions and consider their options. While this is intrinsically a stressful time for parents, there has previously been little research on the details of this stress and ways to buffer it.”
Read more about the study findings.
CHOP Nurses Review History, Recent Advances of Fetal Surgery for Spina Bifida
In a new article in the August 2012 issue of the AORN Journal, published by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, nurses from CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment review the history of fetal surgery for spina bifida from inception to current practice.
“Our Center’s multidisciplinary team has the world’s greatest amount of experience performing fetal surgery and as a result, CHOP nurses have had a great opportunity to help advance the field of fetal medicine,” said Susan M. Scully, BSN, RN, CNOR. “Specifically, as participants in the landmark Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS), CHOP nurses contributed to making fetal surgery for spina bifida a standard-of-care option for families.”
In their article, “Fetal Myelomeningocele Repair: A New Standard of Care,” Scully and her co-authors, Maureen Mallon, MBA, BSN, RN, CNOR, Joy C. Kerr, BSN, CNOR, and Allison Ludzia-DeAngelis BSN, RN, provide an overview of the field of fetal surgery, the rationale to prenatally repair spina bifida, the landmark MOMS trial, CHOP’s fetal surgery program and the important role perioperative nurses have played in this pioneering treatment.
Tiny Patients, Big Results: The Future of Fetal Surgery
July 16, 2012 – Five-year-old Addison Kelly underwent fetal surgery at CHOP in November 2006 for a life-threatening mass in her chest. Today, Addison is about to enter kindergarten, and CHOP performs about 150 fetal surgeries each year, with more specialized treatments on the horizon. The Kelly family, along with Dr. Scott Adzick and Lori Howell from CHOP, are featured in a MyHealthNewsDaily.com article about the in utero surgical treatments that are helping babies survive. The CHOP team talks about research underway to develop less invasive techniques that can be applied even earlier in gestation.
Read the full article from MyHealthNewsDaily.com for more about the future of fetal surgery and the Kelly family’s experiences.
CHOP Featured in Series on Prenatal Spina Bifida Surgery
July 10, 2012 – Doctors from CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment were recently featured in a five part series on TheBlaze.com about advancements in fetal surgery with a focus on prenatal surgical treatment of spina bifida. The story highlights the results of the Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS), co-led by CHOP, which showed that fetal surgery greatly reduces the need to divert fluid from the brain, improves mobility and improves the chances that a child will be able to walk independently
Read the full story from The Blaze to learn about the success of this groundbreaking treatment and CHOP’s role in pioneering the prenatal treatment of spina bifida – Exclusive: Medical Experts Explain How to Treat Spinal Defect Before a Child is Even Born
CHOP's First Fetal Surgery Patient Turns 16
Roberto Rodriguez, Jr.'s lung lesion surgery in 1995 was the first-ever fetal surgery at CHOP. Watch this CBS Philly story about Roberto who is now 16 years old and aspires to play professional baseball.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s 16th Annual Fetal Surgery Family Reunion Gathers Families from Across the U.S.
More than 250 children treated before they were born by CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, and their families, gathered to celebrate 16 years of hope
View large photo of entire group
June 24, 2012 - Over 1,300 people, from 18 states across the country, gathered today to celebrate the 16th Annual Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Fetal Family Reunion at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
The reunion brings together families who have shared similar health challenges; nearly all of the children in attendance were prenatally diagnosed with a birth defect, like spina bifida, congenital heart disease or twin-twin transfusion syndrome, that can often have potentially devastating outcomes. In the cases represented by the families at the reunion, those diagnosed with these birth defects either underwent fetal surgery to treat the condition before birth or needed immediate specialized care after birth.
“The families gathered here today are just a small portion of the over 12,000 expectant mothers from around the world that we’ve been able to help and support over the last 16 years,” said N. Scott Adzick, M.D., Surgeon-In-Chief at CHOP and director of the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment. “It is truly inspiring to see so many children, who as babies likely could have died, now running around and growing up healthy and strong.”
Birth defects like the types treated at the Center are common; one in 33 babies in the U.S. is born with a birth defect each year. Since 1995, CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment has been able to provide care for many families who had been previously told that their baby had little chance for survival. This annual reunion is an opportunity for staff and patient families to reunite and celebrate. Attendance at these reunions has grown from ten families at the first reunion to more than 250 families today.
“The fetal family reunion is our team’s favorite day of the year,” said Adzick. “As the field of fetal surgery and therapy continues to advance, specifically in light of our recent developments in fetal surgery for spina bifida, we look forward to treating more and more babies before they are born.”
To meet some children treated by CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment and Fetal Heart Program, and to view photos from the 15th annual Reunion, visit the Center’s Facebook page.
Fetal Surgery: Best Practices for Nurses
June 6, 2012 — Maternal-fetal care is entering a new era. Highly sophisticated surgical teams now repair birth defects in the womb, place fetal shunts to treat life-threatening congenital conditions, and perform minimally invasive procedures in the mother’s uterus to treat complications in fetal twins. These are examples of the still-emerging and complex field of fetal surgery, which has previously yielded relatively little published research on best practices in nursing care.
“Nurses are in a crucial position to care for mothers, fetuses and newborns as fetal interventions expand,” said Susan R. Miesnik, MSN, CRNP, guest editor of the In Focus section of the May/June 2012 Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing.
The new issue of the journal has a special focus on fetal surgery. Miesnik, a perinatal nurse practitioner at the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, and 10 colleagues from CHOP review the latest nursing practice in the field in four articles. For more information, see Fetal Surgery: Coming of Age.
SDU Celebrates 1,000 Deliveries
April 12, 2012 — Less than four years after opening the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit, the world’s first birth facility exclusively for mothers carrying babies with known birth defects, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) celebrates 1,000 deliveries. Like approximately 40 percent of the babies born in the Special Delivery Unit, the 1000th delivery was a newborn prenatally diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.
Kathy Banks, of New Britain, PA, was 20 weeks pregnant when doctors discovered one of the twins she was carrying had a heart problem. Kathy was carefully monitored by CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment team and Fetal Heart Program for the duration of her pregnancy. She delivered Angela Rose and Liam Andrew on March 20. Liam, who was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, will need surgery to repair his heart. To read more about this milestone birth in the Special Delivery unit, see 1,000th birth press release.
A Year After MOMs: One Family's story
Feb. 21, 2012 — A year after prenatal repair of spina bifida became the standard of care, a Norristown, PA, mom shares her family's story in the Philadelphia Tribune.
The story, Fetal surgery can correct birth defects, features Tiersa Cross, her month-old daughter Madisyn, and N. Scott Adzick, MD, surgeon-in-chief of the Hospital and director of the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment. Adzick performed prenatal surgery in October, when Tiersa was 24 weeks pregnant. Madisyn was born Jan. 18, and has been doing well.
“I just wanted to let her have the best life possible," Tiersa said of the surgery. "I was just really looking out for her.”
CHOP Docs Quoted in Uruguay Publication
Dec. 12, 2011 — Two physicians from the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP were quoted in the Spanish-language website Portal Digital El Pais for their participation in the 10th World Congress of Perinatal Medicine, held Nov. 8-11 in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
N. Scott Adzick, MD, surgeon-in-chief of the Hospital and director of the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, and Pablo Laje, MD, attending physician at CHOP, were quoted in the article based on their presentation about the groundbreaking study proving prenatal surgical repair of myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida, produced superior outcomes than traditional postnatal surgery.
While the surgery is not recommended in all cases, it does offer promising new hope for parents expecting children with this neurological fetal anomaly. To read the story en Español »
Prenatal Testing Offers More Answers
Dec. 5, 2011 — About 3 percent of all babies born in the United States have a birth defect. Today, health professionals have more tools to diagnose and treat fetal anomalies — sometimes before they are even born.
Susan S. Spinner, MSN, RN, a nurse coordinator at the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, was quoted in an article about prenatal testing in the November 2011 issue of SJ Magazine, a magazine serving "the heart of southern New Jersey." Facilities such at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have a wealth of diagnostic tools — from amniocentesis to fetal CTs and 3D sonography — to better understand what's happening to children in utero.
CHOP Leaders Present at International Conference
Nov. 11, 2011 – Medical experts from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, Cardiac Center and International Patient Services traveled to Punta del Este, Uruguay, for the 10th World Congress of Perinatal Medicine.
Throughout the four-day conference held Nov. 8-11, physicians N. Scott Adzick, MD, Jack Rychik, MD, Pablo Laje, MD, and Center Executive Director Lori Howell, MS, RN, presented on topics of interest to the perinatal community including fetal surgery, perinatal management of congenital heart disease, the EXIT procedure for cervical teratomas, and our Special Delivery Unit, the world’s first birth facility for mothers carrying babies with known birth defects.
In addition to their talks, our clinical experts and members of CHOP’s International Patient Services team – including medical director Rodney Finalle, MD – met with conference attendees to share information about our cutting-edge programs, the many scientific advances taking place at CHOP, and the breadth of services we provide for international patients and their families.
For details about the conference, see the 10th World Congress on Perinatal Medicine. To view photos from the conference, check us out on Facebook.
Spina Bifida Educational Video Released
Oct. 19, 2011 — A free educational video portraying delicate surgery, that dramatically improves outcomes when performed before birth on fetuses with spina bifida, is available to parents facing this significant pre-birth decision. Spina bifida is the most common birth defect of the central nervous system, affecting about 1,500 babies born each year in the United States. For more information, read our press release.
Raising Sickle Cell Awareness
September 2011 – Twenty five years ago, Darlene Logan learned her unborn son would have sickle cell disease, a congenital and life-threatening condition. She turned to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for help then and again numerous times through his life. Her son Marc will turn 24 in October and he’s heading for graduate school.
Today, Darlene Logan serves as the co-chair of the campaign to raise funds and awareness of sickle cell disease and clinical research programs at CHOP. Read more about her story and the promising new sickle cell research by Alan W. Flake, MD, in The Philadelphia Tribune.
Treating Birth Defects Before Birth
Sept. 26, 2011 – Nurses’ roles in the landmark Management of Myelomeningocele Study were detailed in an article published today by Nurse.com, parent company of Nursing Spectrum and Nurse Week.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, compared the outcomes of children who received prenatal treatment for spina bifida vs. those who received the more traditional postnatal repair. The results overwhelmingly supported prenatal treatment. Results of the study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February 2011.
The Nurse.com story examined the role of Lori J. Howell, MS, RN, executive director of CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, and that of dozens of other nurses who provided postpartum and antepartum care, assisted in the operating room or counseled parents.
New Web Coverage: Fetal Family Reunion
Sept. 8, 2011 — More than 1,000 parents, children and staff turned out for the 15th Annual Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Fetal Family Reunion at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Our coverage includes:
- an overview story
- photo slide show
- stories about individual patients with conditions including:
o omphalocele – Curtis
o tetralogy of Fallot – Evelyn
o congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) – Dillon
o lung anomalies – Donald and Zachary
o congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) – Allisyn and Kathryn
o CDH – Sheree
o spina bifida – Elizabeth’s baby
Women’s Journal Features Fetal Family Reunion
Aug. 31, 2011 — The Philadelphia Women’s Journal featured the 15th Annual Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Fetal Family Reunion in a three-page spread in its August/September issue that included dozens of photos from the June 26 event at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Check out the coverage of kids and the staff who cared for them – in some cases – even before they were born. Read Celebrating Family.
Dr. Adzick honored with Community Service Award
Aug. 11, 2011 — Chai Lifeline awarded CHOP's surgeon-in-chief with its Community Service Award for his unwavering commitment to helping children with disabilities. Rabbi Chaim Z. Herzka presented the award to N. Scott Adzick, MD, surgeon-in-chief of the Hospital and director of the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, on July 26 at Bais Faiga Hall, Lakewood, NJ.
In presenting the award, Herzka told his own family's story and how grateful he is to Adzick for helping his son Rephael. The Chai Lifeline 2011 Reception video chronicles Herzka's presentation and Adzick's acceptance speech.
Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week
Aug. 8, 2011 — In response to the recent Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia took part in an international effort to educate professionals and the public about the importance of giving every child the best possible start in life — by breastfeeding newborns for the first six months after delivery. The annual campaign is celebrated Aug. 1-7 in more than 170 countries worldwide.
Read the press release about World Breastfeeding Week and learn how CHOP helped 99 percent of new moms giving birth in its Special Delivery Unit to begin pumping breast milk for their children.
Saving Children: Correcting Spina Bifida Before Birth
Aug. 4, 2011 — Watching Mia Lisa Capuano do cartwheels and dance is a miracle, says her mom. Diagnosed with spina bifida in utero, Mia Lisa was not expected to walk – much less dance. Today, the New Jersey preteen is excelling in athletics, as well as school, because she received prenatal surgery to correct the spinal defect at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Ivanhoe Broadcast News featured Mia Lisa’s story on dozens of stations across the U.S.
CFDT featured in NACHRI’s ‘All Children Need Children’s Hospitals’
July 22, 2011 — The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP was highlighted in "All Children Need Children's Hospitals," a publication by the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions. The publication includes a photo of fetal surgery performed at CHOP (p. 17) and a story about the breakthrough treatment for spina bifida that was lead by clinicians at CHOP (p. 28).
Led by N. Scott Adzick, MD, surgeon-in-chief of the Hospital and director of the Center, team members pioneered a prenatal surgical procedure to repair myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida. Surgeons have been performing the procedure at CHOP since 1998 and were part of a landmark national study that clearly established its effectiveness. The story also featured 10-year-old Sean Mulligan and his family from Cincinnati, OH.
Prenatal Surgery for Spina Bifida Comes of Age
July 12, 2011 — In early June, reporters from National Public Radio (NPR) spent two days in CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment covering a story about fetal surgery for myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida.
The NPR team captured various aspects of patient Sarah White’s experience, including interviews with her and her husband Joe Hensley, her doctors, N. Scott Adzick, MD, director of the Center and surgeon-in-chief at CHOP, Leslie N. Sutton, MD, chief of neurosurgery, and audio from inside CHOP's Fetal OR. The reporters then traveled to Cincinnati, OH, to visit 10-year-old Sean Mulligan and his mom Katherine who underwent fetal surgery for myelomeningocele at CHOP in 2000.
The story stresses that fetal surgery is no longer considered experimental: It is now a standard of care. The story aired on NPR’s All Things Considered as part of a summer series “Beginnings: Pregnancy, Childbirth and Beyond.” The story is available in words and audio.
CFDT content available in Spanish (en Español)
July 8, 2011 — CHOP’s Center for Diagnosis and Treatment is one of the first fetal centers in the U.S. to offer online content in Spanish. Center leaders said the move was meant to offer updated medical information to Spanish-speakers in their native language. Content includes all fetal diagnoses, our services, a glossary of terms and more. Look for the “en Español” tab under the banner of each page.
Families from Across U.S. Attend 15th Fetal Reunion
July 6, 2011 — More than 1,000 people from 17 states across the country gathered to celebrate the 15thAnnual Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Fetal Family Reunion at CHOP. “The fetal family reunion is our team’s favorite day of the year,” said N. Scott Adzick, MD, surgeon-in-chief at Children’s Hospital and director of the Center. “It is truly inspiring to see so many children, who as babies likely could have died, now running around and growing up healthy and strong.” Read a press release about the event.
3rd Anniversary of the Garbose Special Delivery Unit
June 22, 2011 — This month marks the third anniversary of the opening of CHOP’s Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit, the first birth facility in the world created exclusively for mothers carrying babies with known birth defects like spina bifida and congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Since June of 2008, more than 750 babies have been delivered in the Special Delivery Unit, including babies from 32 states and three countries.
Peyton’s Promise Run Raises $35K for CDH Research
June 11, 2011 — The Third Annual Peyton’s Promise 5K Run and 2K Walk raised nearly $35,000 for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) research, reported the Shore News Today. Peyton’s Promise is named for Peyton Laricks of Sea Isle City, NJ, who was born in 2008 with CDH. After numerous surgeries and other extensive treatments at CHOP, Peyton is now a happy and healthy toddler. Her family raises funds and awareness of CDH with the annual event.
Fetal Surgery First: Advance for Nurses
April 28, 2011 — Advance for Nurses magazine highlighted the role of nurses and advanced practice nurses in a national study conducted at CHOP that found prenatal repair of spina bifida produced superior outcomes for patients than postnatal repair. The groundbreaking research and treatment for myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida, has changed the course of the disease for many diagnoses in utero. See Fetal Surgery: Seeing is Believing.
CDH Awareness Day
March 31, 2011 — Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) is as common as spina bifida and cystic fibrosis, yet most people haven’t heard about it. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia joined CDH awareness groups in March and April to spread the word about this birth defect that occurs about once in every 2,500 live births. Some recent coverage of CHOP and CDH includes:
International Fetal Conference Held in Philadelphia
March 16, 2011 — An international group of 300-plus medical experts gathered March 16-19, to discuss the most current advances in prenatal diagnosis and treatment of birth defects. About one in every 33 babies born in the U.S. each year has some type of major birth defect.
The Update on Prenatal Diagnosis and Treatment of Fetal Anomalies was sponsored by CHOP's Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment and the Division of Pediatric General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgery. The conference is one of the largest, multidisciplinary courses devoted to advances in the diagnosis and treatment of a broad spectrum of fetal anomalies.
CFDT launches Twitter account
March 2011 — The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment launched a Twitter account to connect with more families in today’s electronic era. Follow us on Twitter to learn about the latest news and events from the Center and CHOP.
Birth of a Breakthrough: Prenatal Surgery for Spina Bifida
Feb. 9, 2011 — Performing delicate surgery in the womb, months before birth, can substantially improve outcomes for children with a common, disabling birth defect of the spine. Experts at CHOP co-led a new landmark study showing that fetal surgery for spina bifida greatly reduces the need to divert fluid from the brain, improves mobility and improves the chances that a child will be able to walk independently. Spina bifida is the most common birth defect of the central nervous system, affecting about 1,500 babies born each year in the U.S.
Watch our Birth of a Breakthrough video detailing the national study, prenatal surgery and the significance for future generations.
Coverage extends to more than 2,000 Media Placements, including:
- ABC News: Babies Face Better Outlook with Surgery in Womb
- The Associated Press: Fetal surgery better for kids with spine defect
- Bloomberg and Business Week: Fetal Surgery for Spina Bifida Better Than Treatment After Birth
- CBS News: Health Watch: Spina Bifida Breakthrough
- Jamaica Observer: Surgery in the Womb Works Best for Spinal Defect
- The New York Times: Success of Spina Bifida Study Opens Fetal Surgery Door
- Science: Surgery in Utero Helps Ease Effects of Spina Bifida
- Toronto Sun: Surgery Offers New Hope to Spina Bifida Babies
- The Wall Street Journal: Spine Defect Best Fixed Before Birth
2010
EXIT Procedure Saves Newborn Lives
Nov. 3, 2010 — The healthyimagination blog explored how the EXIT technique, an innovative procedure that allows a baby to stay connected to the mother via umbilical cord during surgery, helped save a child's life. Read the article.
Poker Tournament Raises More Than $900,000
Oct. 21, 2010 — With support from 11-time World Series of Poker Bracelet Winner Phil Hellmuth, actor and comedian Steve Martin and author Amy Tan, the "All In for Kids" Poker Tournament raised more than $900,000 to benefit The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP. Sponsored by Jami and Joel Friedman of Huntington, NY, proceeds from the 3rd annual poker tournament supports pioneering work in fetal medicine to offer hope to babies yet to be born. Visit our Facebook page to see an album of photos from the event »
CFDT creates Facebook page
September 2010 — The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment launched a page on Facebook to connect with families in a new way in this electronic age. The CFDT’s page links to a larger page for the entire Hospital. Like the CFDT Facebook page and you’ll be kept up to date about the latest happening in the world of fetal diagnosis and treatment.
Best Jobs of the Future: Fetus Healer
Sept. 21, 2010 — Popular Science magazine quoted CFDT Executive Director Lori Howell, MS, RN, in listing "Fetus Healer" as one of its 10 best jobs of the future. Some of the other best future jobs include space pilot, fusion worker and galactic architect. Read the story (page 3 of the photo gallery).
A Shared Struggle to Survive: TTTS
August/September 2010 — The Epstein family of Maplewood, NJ, discuss twin-twin transfer syndrome and how CHOP helped their daughters Rose and Madeline in The Philadelphia Women’s Journal.
CHOP's World-Class Care for Newborns
July 2010 — Fox 29's Claudia Gomez introduces the Forsythe family and little Eva, who was born in CHOP’s Special Delivery Unit, the first birthing unit in the country created specifically for moms delivering babies with known birth defects.
Special Delivery Unit: 500 Deliveries and counting …
June 2010 — Two years ago, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia created a special delivery unit for babies with birth defects. Five hundred babies later, Fox 29’s Claudia Gomez takes a look at the difference it’s making. Meet Lindsay and baby Charlotte, one of the special needs infants born in the birthing unit in the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP.
Fetal Surgery discussed in American Pregnancy Report
June 2010 — CFDT Director N. Scott Adzick, MD, was among a number of experts quoted in Pregnancy Wellness, a special supplement to USA Today Weekend in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Dr. Adzick discussed fetal surgery, including procedures to correct twin-twin transfusion syndrome. (See Page 18.) Read the supplement.
Video Features Twins Saved by Laser Surgery
May 2010 — Meet the Hannings twins, who had successful laser surgery to treat twin-twin transfusion syndrome at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and are now healthy toddlers.
Prenatal Surgery for TTTS helped NJ family
April 19, 2010 — The Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger featured the Epstein family and twins Madeline and Rose in a story about prenatal surgery to correct the life-threatening condition of twin-twin transfer syndrome. The family was treated at CHOP.
Peyton’s Promise: 2nd Year Helping Babies with CDH
April 6, 2010 — Peyton Laricks has much to celebrate this spring: Her second birthday on March 31, and a special event commemorating her beating the odds when she was born with and treated for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). Read a story in the Cape May County (NJ) Herald about her family’s fundraising to raise awareness about CDH.
CDH Baby Breathing Easier After Treatment
April 5, 2010 — Danny Gilroy was diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia while still in utero. His surgery and treatment at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was chronicled in the Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune.
11 years after CDH: Meet Nicholas Senoyuit
March 31, 2010 — Fox News Philadelphia caught up with 11-year-old Nicholas Senoyuit to educate viewers about congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Nicholas was born with a hole in his diaphragm; it was surgically closed by clinicians at CHOP. Today, the active preteen enjoys Irish dancing, soccer and swimming.
Fetal Surgery Continues to Advance
Feb. 17, 2010 — The still-emerging field of fetal surgery is making significant advances in the treatment of birth defects before babies are even born. Read a press release about the current work at The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP.
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