Dna1

Fetal-Surgery “Fetal surgery itself is a relatively new procedure with only a few hundred attempts world wide. Because of the risk of inducing preterm labor and delivering so early in the pregnancy, fetal surgery traditionally was reserved for life- threatening circumstances. While spina bifida is not necessarily life- threatening, it is the most common debilitating birth defect, diagnosed in about one of every 1,000 here in the US. Babies born with spina bifida typically experience one …

…doing fetal surgery for spina bifida, and then quietly has begun doing them again. ‘We decided that we wouldn’t do that (unless) we could get far enough to do it endoscopically, and that turns out to be technically very challenging,’ says UCSF’s Dr. Harrison. These three hospitals are three of only a small handful locations in the world currently offering fetal surgery for any reason.” (http://www.fetal-surgery.com/; 10/29/00; Copyright 1998-2000 fetal-surgery.com).