Fetal Surgery for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
Imagine being told your unborn baby has a defect in the muscle separating the chest from the abdomen. That the baby's stomach and intestines have pushed up against the heart and are restricting development of the lungs. Parents are often shown blurry ultrasound or MRI images of their baby's anatomy (congenital diaphragmatic hernia) and have to process what's happened and make decisions about treatment.
We worked with the Cincinnati Fetal Center to develop family education materials about CDH and a procedure called Fetoscopic Tracheal Balloon Occlusion, where a temporary balloon is inflated in the trachea to trap fluid in the lung. The fluid pressure builds inside the lung and helps the lungs to grow.
We worked with the Cincinnati Fetal Center to develop family education materials about CDH and a procedure called Fetoscopic Tracheal Balloon Occlusion, where a temporary balloon is inflated in the trachea to trap fluid in the lung. The fluid pressure builds inside the lung and helps the lungs to grow.
The diaphragm is a muscle responsible for breathing. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) occurs during fetal development when the muscle fails to close properly leaving a hole. The organs in the abdominal area move through this hole into the chest and restrict the lungs from growing. The amount of herniation affects prognosis. In severe cases, the "liver up" can push the heart, trachea and lungs.
Fetoscopic endotracheal balloon occlusion (FETO) surgery is performed in utero at 28 weeks. A scope is inserted into the Mom's uterus and then down the baby's mouth, where a temporary balloon is inflated to trap fluid in the lung. The fluid pressure builds inside the lung and helps the lungs to grow. The balloon is removed days before birth. After the baby is born and stabilized, surgery is performed to return the stomach, intestines and liver to the belly cavity and repair the hole in the diaphragm muscle.
