First-ever fetal brain surgery successfully carried out

Doctors have successfully performed a first-of-its-kind surgical procedure on a foetus to correct a potentially fatal developmental condition called Vein of Galen Malformation (VOGM) in the brain before birth. The treatment was undertaken to mitigate the risk of injury and heart failure post birth. The rare malformation in the brain can cause direct artery-to-vein connections deep at the base of the brain, which can result in high blood pressure leading to heart failure in newborns. Doctors normally use a catheter-based procedure post-birth, but this can lead to complications such as heart failure and long-term cognitive disabilities in infants. In the recent clinical trial, researchers repaired the malformation before birth using ultrasound, thereby reducing the risk of long-term damage and death among newborns. The treatment has the potential to mark a paradigm shift in managing VOGM and can head off the heart failure before it occurs.