Abstract

VENATOR, STUART HOSIE. FETAL SURGERY. PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. rev.fac.med [online]. 2007, vol.15, n.2, pp.243-250. ISSN 0121-5256.

Advances in prenatal ultrasound have lead to an increase in antenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies. Potential consequences of prenatal diagnosis include, besides standardized postnatal treatment and termination of pregnancy, modification of the timing of gestation, mode and place of delivery. In selected cases, were progression of gestation leads to an irreversible damage of the affected organs incompatible with postnatal life, fetal treatment may be an option. Examples of such malformations are extreme bilateral obstuctive uropathy, giant sacrococcigeal teratoma, congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung and congenital diaphragmatic hernia. The present review discusses physiopathology of these malformations as well as strategies of fetal treatment, results and future perspectives.

Keywords : fetal therapy; abnormalities.