For the first time, a team of doctors from the US has performed brain surgery on an unborn infant at a gestational age of 34 weeks and 2 days. The procedure was vital to preventing heart failure and brain impairment in the infant after delivery.

The in-utero operation, which is described in detail in the journal Stroke, revealed that the surgery was performed to address a potentially fatal developmental problem. The surgery was performed to treat an aggressive vascular abnormality known as a vein of Galen malformation (VOGM).Miss Denver Coleman, a 1.9-kg baby girl, was delivered two days after surgery with no birth abnormalities and just minor difficulties. According to the surgical team from Boston Childrens Hospital and Brigham and Womens Hospital, the girl child is doing well and is not on any medications.

Dr. Darren B. Orbach, co-director of the Cerebrovascular Surgery & Interventions Centre at Boston Childrens Hospital and the lead author of the study noted that no negative effect on the brain was observed after the surgery. He also noted that the girl child was eating normally and gaining weight.

Mr. Colin P. Derdeyn, a neuro-interventional radiologist at the University of Iowa HealthCare, noted that the surgical procedure had several limitations. He added that one successful case is not enough to determine the hazards of this technique and whether they outweigh the advantages.

The child was delivered via inducement of vaginal delivery two days later due to premature rupture of membranes during in-utero embolization. The preterm infant was kept in the neonatal critical care unit for many weeks before being discharged. During that time, the infant had a normal neurological assessment, and a brain MRI revealed no strokes, fluid buildup, or hemorrhage.

(Source:https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/first-ever-successful-brain-surgery-on-unborn-baby-performed-by-us-doctors/100017440 )