In a first-of-its-kind procedure, doctors performed a successful uterine surgery to repair a rare and fatal prenatal condition of the fetus. Uterine surgery has been used in other cases, but this is the first time a treatment of Galen’s venous malformation – a rare abnormality of blood vessels within the brain that can be attempted – has been attempted. It causes a rush of high blood pressure in the veins.
Details of the procedure, which took place in March, were Posted on Thursday in Stroke, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association. in Two-hour procedureWhen the fetus was 34 weeks and two days gestational age, doctors used ultrasound imaging to guide a needle through the mother’s uterus to a vein at the back of the fetus’ head. A catheter was then used in the needle to insert a small coil to reduce blood flow into the vein.
The little patient was the first in a clinical trial currently being conducted at Boston Children’s and Brigham and Women’s Hospitals, administered with FDA supervision, and delivered by vaginal delivery two days after the operation.
the The baby’s parents, Derek and Kenata Coleman, told CNN that they learned of their baby’s condition during a 30-week ultrasound, and that the doctor told them that “something wasn’t right with the baby’s brain, as well as her enlarged heart.” Although Kenyatta said she was aware of the potential risks of joining the clinical trial, the Coleman family “felt there was no other option for them,” CNN wrote.
Weeks later, doctors say the Colemans’ daughter, Denver, is thriving.
“In our first treated case, we were thrilled to see that the sharp decline that we normally see after childbirth simply did not show up,” said lead study author Dr. Darren B. he said in a press release. “We are pleased to report that at six weeks, the infant is progressing remarkably well, is not taking any medications, is eating normally, gaining weight, and is coming home. There are no signs of any negative effects on the brain.”
Auerbach added that this is the first patient to undergo the treatment, and that it is necessary to continue the trial to evaluate safety and efficacy in other patients. The results are still promising.
“This approach has the potential to mark a paradigm shift in the management of Galenic malformation where we repair the malformation before birth and avoid heart failure before it occurs, rather than trying to reverse it after birth,” Auerbach said. “This may significantly reduce the risk of long-term brain damage, disability, or death among these infants.”
