Life-Changing Open Fetal Surgery for Baby with Spina Bifida

In open fetal surgery, both mother and baby have surgery. Dr. Cromblehome opened Ester’s uterus, exposed the back of baby Thaddeus and repaired the opening where his spine was exposed. Then Thaddeus was returned to Ester’s uterus to finish out the pregnancy. He was born last August, weighing three pounds and four ounces, small but healthy.

Connecticut Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) cares for fragile babies once they are born, but sometimes a baby has a congenital condition that can’t wait for birth. Spina bifida is one such condition. In spina bifida, a baby’s spine does not close properly during pregnancy. Historically, the opening has been repaired surgically after birth, but that’s not always soon enough to prevent paralysis in the lower body or hydrocephalus (fluid buildup in the brain). Fetal surgery allows this repair to occur earlier, thus preventing months of additional damage to the baby’s spine.

Under Dr. Cromblehome’s leadership, Connecticut Children’s is one of only a handful of children’s hospitals in the country with the expertise and facilities to offer surgical intervention while babies are in utero. In addition to repairing spina bifida, the Fetal Care Center can perform intrauterine transfusions, remove tumors, and treat conditions that would have been fatal in the past. Ester and Thaddeus were the first open fetal surgery performed at Connecticut Children’s, but they won’t be the last.