Fetus with severe defect surgically treated in womb, baby born healthy

In a remarkable feat of medical innovation, a fetus diagnosed with gastroschisis, a severe congenital condition where the intestines develop outside the body, underwent successful experimental surgery while still in the womb. The procedure took place at a children's hospital in Texas, USA, when the fetus was 26 weeks old.

Maisie Savage, the 29-year-old mother from London, was operated on six weeks after her initial diagnosis of gastroschisis during a routine 20-week anatomy scan. The complex fetal surgery involved partially opening Savage's uterus to access the baby. Surgeons carefully guided the infant's intestines back into the abdominal cavity.

This pioneering surgery marks a significant advancement in treating gastroschisis. Theo, the baby born following this procedure, is now five months old and is the third child worldwide to receive this type of life-changing fetal intervention. Gastroschisis occurs when the abdominal wall fails to close completely during fetal development, causing the intestines and sometimes other organs to protrude through an opening near the navel.

While survival rates for gastroschisis are high in Western countries, the treatment typically requires weeks or months of intensive care immediately after birth, often leading to long-term complications and the need for further surgeries. This new prenatal surgical approach offers the potential for affected infants and their families to experience a more typical early life together. Theo's case was particularly severe, described as a complicated gastroschisis, which initially caused significant fear for his parents, Maisie Savage and Josh French, before they were referred to the specialized team in Texas.