After more than 2 decades of experimental and clinical work, fetal surgery is an accepted treatment option for highly selected fetuses with life-threatening anomalies. Fetal lung masses associated with hydrops are nearly 100% fatal. These lesions can be resected in utero if they are predominantly solid or multicystic. Thoracoamniotic shunt placement may be effective in the setting of a single l...

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed utilizing an electronic survey distributed to FPD in subspecialty fields of maternal-fetal medicine (MFM), reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI), gynecologic oncology (Gyn Onc), minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (MIGS), and female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) between February 2014 to April 2014. Sixteen specifi...

Endoscopic fetoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed during pregnancy [2] that allows physicians to view the fetus [3] in-utero. Physicians use endoscopic fetoscopy to evaluate, diagnose, and treat fetal abnormalities. Physicians use an endoscope, or a thin, flexible surgical device with a light attached to its end, to perform endoscopic fetoscopy procedures. In 1954, Björn...

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Office of Rare Diseases convened a multidisciplinary group of experts on August 16-17, 2004, for a workshop entitled ''Fetal Treatment: Needs Assessment and Future Directions.'' The purpose of the workshop was to develop a plan for the surgical, obstetric, neonatal, and maternal-fetal fields for the evaluation and dissemination of...

(Abstracted from N Engl J Med 2021;385:107–118) Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) occurs in approximately 1 4000 births, and 85% of these cases have the defect on left side. The condition is associated with neonatal death due to respiratory failure pulmonary hypertension.

PURPOSE To study the feasibility, learning curve, and safety of fetoscopy, so that fetal surgery can be confidently performed in ongoing pregnancies. METHODS Fetoscopy was performed at 12-20 weeks of gestation, in 12 women with fetal congenital malformations and/or for termination of pregnancy, under local anesthesia using fine fetoscopes ranging from 1 to 2-mm diameter. The fetal parts and p...

Maternal-fetal cellular trafficking (MFCT) is a well described phenomenon during pregnancy in which maternal cells migrate into the fetus and fetal cells migrate into the mother [1–5]. The specific mechanisms leading to such trafficking and its lifelong consequences have fascinated scientists for decades and are still actively being investigated. For example, several groups have demonstrated an...