Chinese doctors conducted a successful intrauterine operation to remove a tumor in the fetus
Doctors in Shenzhen saved a baby by shrinking a tumor in his chest right in the womb. The baby was born healthy at week 37.
A group of doctors from Shenzhen and Hong Kong conducted a unique intrauterine operation that gave life to the child. According to the newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP), experts were able to reduce the tumor in the chest of the fetus, without removing it from the womb, reports TASS.
The problem was discovered during a routine examination of a 40-year-old woman at the 22nd week of pregnancy. The fetus was diagnosed with a neoplasm about five centimeters in size, which occupied the entire right half of the chest. The tumor compressed the heart and lungs, and also provoked ascites - a dangerous accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, endangering the life of the child.
To save the baby, doctors used an innovative technique. Under the control of high-resolution ultrasound imaging in real time, specialists inserted a thin ablation needle through the mother's abdominal wall, uterine wall and fetal chest directly into the center of the tumor. With the help of microwave technology, which destroys tissues due to the intense heat from the vibration of water molecules, doctors acted on the tumor. The active heating process took only two minutes.
The result was not long in coming: three days after the procedure, the volume of the tumor significantly decreased, and the accumulation of fluid completely disappeared. Pregnancy was reported to the 37th week. The baby was born by caesarean section weighing 2.9 kilograms and was completely healthy.
Four months after birth, doctors continue to monitor the baby. According to them, the child feels well, he does not have any symptoms, and repeated surgery is not required. Doctors note that this case gives new hope to families who face similar severe diagnoses during pregnancy.
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