Groundbreaking in utero surgery performed for first time by Israeli doctors in Petah Tikva

Physicians at Clalit Health Services’ Beilinson Hospital have achieved a medical milestone by performing Israel's first intrauterine surgery to remove a rare placental tumor that endangered a fetus's life. The procedure was conducted on a 25-week pregnant mother whose routine anatomy scan revealed the growth.

Subsequent ultrasounds showed the tumor was critically disrupting blood circulation between mother and fetus, leading to fetal heart failure. Given the early stage of the pregnancy, delivering the baby prematurely posed severe developmental risks. The medical team therefore opted for an emergency in utero intervention to save the unborn child.

The operation was led by Dr. Yuval Gielchinsky, Director of the Fetal Medicine Center at Clalit-Beilinson, and Dr. Kinneret Tenenbaum, Head of the Twin Pregnancy Clinic. Dr. Gielchinsky explained that while delivery can be a solution in later stages, the 25-week mark necessitated an endoscopic fetal intervention, feasible due to the tumor's accessible location on the placenta.

Surgeons performed a minimally invasive procedure, entering the uterus to locate and seal the blood vessels supplying the tumor using advanced cauterization techniques. Placental tumors are rare, and while often benign, severe cases can dangerously divert blood flow, causing complications like fetal anemia and preeclampsia in the mother. Following the surgery, the mother was monitored and has since been discharged in stable condition, continuing with specialized outpatient care.

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In advanced stages of pregnancy, delivery can sometimes be the solution. But in this case, the patient was only 25 weeks pregnant. The only remaining option was an endoscopic fetal intervention, which is only possible when the tumor is located in an accessible area of the placenta, as it was in this case.