Unborn baby boy gets UK-first surgery while still inside his mother's womb in treatment for rare bowel condition
The technique is similar to that used on babies with spina bifida, where doctors operate to close the gap in the spine, typically between 19 and 26 weeks of pregnancy
A baby boy has become the first child from the UK to have pioneering surgery for a rare condition while still in his mother’s womb.
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Maisie Savage, 29, from London, had the operation in the US while 26 weeks pregnant.
Her son Theo had been diagnosed with gastroschisis, where the intestines develop outside of the body.
The procedure was performed at Texas Children’s Hospital as part of a clinical trial which is taking place in partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) and KU Leuven.
Surgeons partially exposed Ms Savage’s womb and placed Theo’s intestines back into his body.
The technique is similar to that used on babies with spina bifida, where doctors operate to close the gap in the spine, typically between 19 and 26 weeks of pregnancy.
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Theo was carried to term and was born in February in Texas.
Ms Savage told BBC News he is a “little miracle”.
He was the first UK baby to benefit from the procedure, and only the third in the world.
Gastroschisis affects around one in 3,000 babies born in the UK each year and is usually picked up at the mother’s 20-week scan.
Babies currently require an operation soon after birth to put the intestines back into the body, spending weeks in intensive care recovering and being fed through a tube.
Patients with severe gastroschisis may need multiple surgeries, and can spend months in hospital.In some cases, the defect can be fatal.
Paolo De Coppi, NIHR and Nuffield professor of paediatric surgery at UCL Gosh Institute of Child Health and consultant foetal and paediatric surgeon at Gosh, said: “Previous success rates with spina bifida indicate this could essentially offer a cure for gastroschisis.
“If the results are positive, we hope this could become the standard operation for complex gastroschisis cases.
“Families can go home sooner after birth with a healthy baby that shows few signs of their bumpy start in life – the whole process has been very exciting and a big team effort."
Prof de Coppi added that Theo is “doing remarkably well”.
According to the BBC, if the trial is a success, the procedure could be performed on patients in the UK.