Doctors Perform Successful Brain Surgery on Fetus in Womb

Doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital have performed groundbreaking brain surgery on a baby still in the womb to treat a rare blood vessel abnormality inside the brain known as "Venus of Galen malformation." The condition occurs when the blood vessel that carries blood from the brain to the heart doesn't develop correctly, leading to an overwhelming amount of blood stressing the veins and heart and can lead to a cascade of health problems. The team was able to repair the malformation while the baby was still in the uterus, using ultrasound guidance, a needle similar to those used for amniocentesis, and tiny coils that were placed directly into the abnormal blood vessels to stop blood flow.