A Heart Operation on a 25-week-old fetus in utero is a highly specialized, cutting-edge medical intervention designed to correct life-threatening cardiac defects while the baby is still growing inside the womb. Operating between 22 and 26 weeks of gestation allows surgeons to alter the course of severe, evolving heart conditions before they cause irreversible damage or fetal death. Were you aware of In Utero Heart Surgery before this survey?

Fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion (FETO) is a fetal intervention offered at CHOP in a clinical research study for patients with severe CDH. http://www.chop.edu/feto As part of a clinical research study approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is offering fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion (FETO), a fetal surgery procedure that may improve outcomes in babies with the most severe cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). This surgery took place in 2015 This video explains enrollment criteria, shows animation of the surgical procedure, and includes interviews with the clinical team leading the study. Were you aware of this birth defect?

The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago is one of the only fetal centers in the USA that offers a minimally invasive approach for spina bifida repair in utero. Open spina bifida (also known as myelomeningocele) is a birth defect that occurs when the bones in a baby's spinal column do not properly close. The baby's spinal cord extends through the bones and is attached to the skin, which may cause spinal cord damage. Babies who have the defect closed surgically before being born have been shown to have better long-term prognoses. The fetoscopic repair technique may reduce risks for the mother and the baby while preserving the option for a vaginal delivery. In this video, Dr. Robin Bowman, co-director of fetal neurosurgery for The Chicago Institute, explains what happens during the procedure, which happens before 26 weeks gestation. Using intraoperative ultrasound to identify the position of the baby and placenta in the mother, the surgical team enters the uterus safely, inserting an initial port. The uterine cavity is expanded and a camera and two additional ports are inserted into the uterus. Instruments are then inserted through the ports to begin the fetal surgery. The spinal cord is released from surrounding tissues, and that allows the team to close the open defect of the spinal cord with a few fine stitches. The dura, or tough membrane covering the brain and spinal cord which holds the spina fluid, is closed in a water tight fashion and the fetal skin is also closed. Once ports are removed and incisions to the uterus are closed, the fetus continues to develop and heal for the duration of pregnancy. Ideally, the pregnancy continues to full term, at which point the baby is delivered vaginally and cared for by The Chicago Institute of Fetal Health's expert team of specialists. This took place in 2021 , Were you aware of Spina Bifida?