Fetal Surgery

Fetal surgery is a highly complex surgical intervention to repair birth defects in the womb that requires the most expert care for both mother and unborn baby. Improved fetal imaging and diagnostic tools have allowed us to identify more precisely when conditions worsen during fetal development. This knowledge has helped us develop new ways to help babies sooner while in utero. Today, fetal therapy is recognized as one of the most promising fields in pediatric medicine, and prenatal surgery (surgery before birth) is becoming an option for a growing number of babies with birth defects.

Treatments We Provide

Fetal interventions performed at Children’s Hospital include:

• Open fetal surgery for life-threatening or devastating fetal conditions, including myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida, sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT), and CCAM/CPAM
• Minimally invasive fetoscopic surgery, including bladder and chest shunt placement, fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion (FETO) for severe CDH, fetoscopic laser ablation (LASER), bipolar cord coagulation (BCC), and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for monochorionic twin pregnancies
• Ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT)
• Fetal cardiac intervention
• In utero stem cell transplantation
• Intrauterine blood transfusions