Doctors in the US operated on the brain of a child in the womb

A team of doctors in Boston, Massachusetts, successfully performed a unique operation on a baby's brain before it was born to treat a rare disease. Writes about it Hromadske.

Photo: IStock

Details of the procedure, which took place back in March, were published in the medical journal Stroke on May 4.

The infant had a rare brain disorder known as the vein of Galen malformation. This is a dangerous pathology that is observed in some newborns. It can lead to the death of a child in the first days of his life, and the survivors are threatened with cerebral hemorrhage.

Typically, infants with this condition are treated after birth with a catheter to insert tiny coils to slow blood flow. However, treatment often comes too late, said Boston Children's Hospital radiologist Darren Orbach.

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Despite advances in care, “50 to 60 percent of all children will become ill immediately. And for them, the mortality rate is about 40%,” Orbach said. About half of surviving infants experience severe neurological and cognitive problems, he said.

Before choosing

When they found out about their fourth pregnancy, Derek and Kenyatta Coleman from Baton Rouge, Louisiana were surprised and excited. Kenyatta, 36, and Derek, 39, have been married for seven years and were ready to welcome a new addition to their family. CNN.

“The baby felt good. The anatomical scan turned out to be unremarkable,” Kenyatta said.

But when she went for an ultrasound at 30 weeks pregnant, something changed. Kenyatta remembers the doctor sitting her down and telling her she was worried.

“The doctor shared with me that something was wrong with the child’s brain, his heart was enlarged,” recalls Kenyatta.

After additional examinations, the diagnosis was made: VOGM (malformation of the vein of Galen).

But the Colemans learned of clinical trials that could provide treatment before the birth of their child.

Kenyatta remembers being told about the possible risks of premature birth or cerebral hemorrhage. But the couple understood that they had no other choice, and were ready for the trials.

On March 15, exactly one month after the ultrasound revealed the malformation, Kenyatta underwent surgery.

Two patients

During this operation, there were two patients: a mother and her child.

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First, doctors made sure that the fetus was in the correct position - with its head towards the mother's abdominal wall. Then the child was given injections so that he would not move or feel pain. Doctors then inserted a needle into the abdominal wall, carefully pulling a catheter through the needle so the tiny metal coils could refill the vein, slowing the blood flow and lowering the pressure.

The child's condition immediately improved, and the scan showed a decrease in blood pressure in key areas. Two days after the operation, Kenyatta went into labor, which resulted in the birth of a daughter, Denver. The examination showed that everything is fine with the baby.

It has been two months since birth, and now there are no signs that the child needs additional interventions. Denver is off medication for heart failure, and her neurological exam is normal.

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