In the first of its kind, doctors have successfully performed intrauterine surgery to repair a rare and deadly prenatal condition in a fetus. Intrauterine surgery has been used for other conditions, but this is the first time it’s been attempted to treat “leavage of Galen” — a rare blood vessel abnormality in the brain. It causes high blood pressure to the veins.
The details of the procedure carried out in March Published on Thursday in Stroke, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association. in A two hour processWhen the fetus was 34 weeks and 2 days gestational age, doctors used ultrasound imaging to guide a needle through the mother’s uterus and into a vein at the back of the fetus’s head. The catheter inside the needle is then used to insert small coils to reduce blood flow in the vein.
The little patient is the first in a clinical trial currently underway at Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, with US Food and Drug Administration approval, and was born by vaginal delivery two days after the procedure.
of The baby’s parents, Derek and Kenyatta Coleman, told CNN. They said they found out about their baby’s condition at a 30-week ultrasound and the doctor told them “there’s something wrong with the baby’s brain, and her heart is enlarged.” Although Kenyatta said they were aware of the potential risks going into the clinical trial, the Colemans “felt there was no other option for them,” CNN wrote.
Weeks later, doctors said the Colemans’ daughter, Denver, was thriving.
“During our initial treatment, we were very pleased to see that the postnatal decline in strength was barely noticeable,” said study leader Dr. Darren B. Orbach. He said in a press conference.. “At six weeks, the baby is doing amazingly well, taking no medication, eating normal food, gaining weight and going home. There are no signs of any negative effects on the brain.”
Orbach added that this is only their first treated patient and that it is important to continue the trial to assess its safety and efficacy in other patients. Still, the results are promising.
“This approach has the potential to reverse the malformation before birth and prevent heart failure before it occurs. He has,” Orbach said. “This could significantly reduce the risk of long-term brain damage, disability or death in these infants.”