BRAIN surgery has been carried out on a baby inside the womb in a first-of-its-kind, life-saving procedure.
US doctors treated a deadly vein condition in the unborn child, preventing heart failure and stroke soon after birth.
Getty – ContributorUS researchers carried out brain surgery on a foetus inside the womb in a first-of-its-kind, life-saving procedure[/caption]
Brain surgery has been carried out in utero before, but not for this rare illness called a Vein of Galen malformation.
They operated on the mother at 34 weeks, using ultrasound to guide the procedure.
Dr Darren Orbach, of Boston Children’s Hospital, said: “We were thrilled to see that the aggressive decline usually seen after birth simply did not appear.
“We are pleased to report that at six weeks, the infant is progressing remarkably well, on no medication, eating normally, gaining weight, and is back home.
“There are no signs of any negative effects on the brain.”
Vein of Galen malformation (VOGM) affects 10 to 12 British babies every year and children may not survive past the first few days of birth.
It causes the arteries in the brain to drain blood directly into the veins instead of the capillaries, flooding the heart and causing brain damage.
Current treatments are limited to after a child is born, by which point brain damage has already occurred in most cases.
The new procedure, reported in the medical journal Stroke, aims to correct the condition before it impacts the baby.
A team of 10 medics used ultrasound to guide a long needle through the mother’s abdomen into the part of the baby’s brain where the arteries were affected.
They then injected a small substance into the vessel to block the flow back into the veins.
Dr Orbach said: “This approach has the potential to mark a paradigm shift in managing vein of Galen malformation.
“We repair the malformation prior to birth and head off the heart failure before it occurs rather than trying to reverse it after birth.
“This may markedly reduce the risk of long-term brain damage, disability, or death among these infants.”
Dr Carol Benson, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said: “In every foetal surgery, there are two patients: the baby and the mother.
“Caring for both the foetus and the mother is an important aspect of foetal procedures.
“You need to make sure that everything is aligned perfectly, and we couldn’t do anything without the precise communication and teamwork of everyone involved.”