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Pathway to Hope: Lower Urinary Tract Obstructions Video
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Introduction
Tracey and Heath Partington were devastated when they learned their son Michael had LUTO (lower urinary tract obstruction), a birth defect that can have major consequences for a developing fetus. The couple didn’t know all of the options for treatment of LUTO until they talked to the experts at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP has a team of maternal/fetal medicine specialists, reproductive geneticists, pediatric surgeons, urologists, nurses and other specialists. Together, we provide an unparalleled level of expertise in treating LUTO – including the prenatal surgery that gave the Partington’s a renewed hope for their child’s future.
Lower Urinary Tract Obstructions (LUTO) are rare anatomic defects. In this video series, the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia presents a complete overview of the disorder — from diagnosis, through possible prenatal treatment, delivery, postnatal management and long-term follow-up care.
Transcript: Introduction
Tracey Partington, Mother: So the pregnancy had gone very well until Heath and I went in at our 20-week appointment.
Heath Partington, Father: We had gone in for this joyous … just trying to find out the sex of the baby … and we saw the picture of the giant black thing in the middle that was, that always caught your eye.
Tracey Partington, Mother: The black circle was his bladder that had been overfilled over some period of time due to a blockage in his urinary tract.
Heath Partington, Father: Our local doctors weren't aware of some of the things they can do. So it was a very sad day. We didn't know we had as many options as we did.
Tracey Partington, Mother: To think that one teeny, weenie, little, extra flap of skin or a not-quite-large-enough opening in a urethra can wreak so much havoc on a baby, on a pregnancy, on internal organs.
Mark P. Johnson, MD: When a family first learns about the diagnosis of lower urinary tract obstruction, they, many times they're very confused and obviously have lots and lots and lots of questions.
N. Scott Adzick, MD: "Can something be done before birth to help the baby?" They've usually read things on the Internet. They may have gotten some information from the physicians who have referred them.
Michael C. Carr, MD: And they really, obviously need answers to what's going on and what ultimately can be done to help their fetus.
Stefanie Kasperski, MS: The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment offers unparalleled services for families with lower urinary tract obstruction.
Mark P. Johnson, MD: It's really our job to tell them not only what the diagnosis is, but explain all the different components, all of the changes that occur that result in injury to the kidneys, abnormal growth to the lungs, and try to put it in terms they can understand.
N. Scott Adzick, MD: And in highly selected circumstances, treat before birth and quite effectively.
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