May 5, 2023 — In a first-of-its-kind surgery, doctors have successfully repaired a malformation in the brain of a fetus still in the womb.
The team from Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital used ultrasound guidance to repair the vein of what’s known as a Galen malformation, which causes excessively high blood flow and can lead to neurologic and heart complications, including heart failure, severe brain injury, and death soon after birth.
The surgery was performed on a 34-week fetus with remarkable results. Since birth, the baby girl, who was identified while in the womb as being at high risk of suffering…
