2023-05-05 18:18:52
The possibilities within modern healthcare continue to amaze us. Recently, an unborn baby in the womb was operated on for a brain disorder. Doctors in Boston were able to treat an unborn baby who had a life-threatening vein condition called Vein of Galen malformation (VOGM), which can cause strokes and heart failure shortly after birth. The brain surgery may have saved the baby’s life.
While doctors have been able to perform brain surgery on babies in the womb in the past, this is the first time a procedure to treat this particular condition has been attempted in the womb. What amazing things people can do!
First VOGM brain surgery on baby in the womb
Dr. Darren Orbach of Boston Children’s Hospital says: ‘We are delighted to see that the aggressive decline usually seen after birth has not appeared. We are pleased to report that at six weeks the baby is progressing remarkably well, taking no medication, eating normally, gaining weight and is back home. There are therefore no signs of negative effects on the brain.’
Damn, that’s what we call a good day at work. Doctors used ultrasound technology to guide them through the surgery. The operation took place when the mother was 34 weeks pregnant. Dr Carol Benson, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, says: ‘In any fetal surgery there are two patients: the baby and the mother. Caring for both the fetus and the mother is an important aspect of fetal procedures. You have to make sure everything is perfectly aligned, and we can’t do anything without the precise communication and teamwork of everyone involved.’
So what exactly is VOGM?
VOGM causes the arteries in the brain to drain blood directly into the veins, rather than the capillaries, which then flood the heart and cause brain damage. Babies born with the condition can die from the effects of this condition within days of birth if they are not operated on.
Until now, treatments for babies with VOGM would take place after they are born, by which time brain damage may already have occurred. This new technique aims to solve the problem before the baby is affected by VOGM. During the surgery, reported in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, a team of 10 medical staff used a long needle to inject a substance into the blood vessel in the baby’s brain to help the blood flow backward.
Dr. Orbach explains: ‘This approach has the potential to mark a paradigm shift in the management of Vein of Galen malformation. We repair the deformity before birth and prevent heart failure before it occurs, rather than trying to reverse it after birth. This can significantly reduce the risk of long-term brain damage, disability or death in these babies.”
What an achievement by all involved. We can speak of an absolute milestone in healthcare. F*ck yeah science!
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