Two Boston hospitals collaborate to perform first-ever fetal brain surgery

Doctors at two Boston hospitals successfully performed a life-saving brain procedure on a fetus in the womb.

Collaborating clinicians from Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital performed the cerebrovascular surgery on March 15, WBZ reported.

Brigham and Women’s announced Thursday that the surgery prevented a deadly developmental condition by treating an aggressive vascular defect known as Galen malformation before the baby’s birth.

According to Boston Children’s Hospital, a vein of Galen malformation can cause health complications such as congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, brain tissue loss, and hydrocephalus.

The fetus was 34 weeks and two days gestational age at the time of the in-utero procedure. The baby, a girl named Denver, was born healthy two days later and showed no signs of complications.

It was the first time the brain surgery had been done on a fetus in-utero in the U.S. The procedure was part of a clinical trial performed with oversight from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Clinicians were thrilled that the aggressive decline usually seen after birth did not occur, said Dr. Darren B. Orbach, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the Cerebrovascular Surgery & Interventions Center at Boston Children’s Hospital.

“We are pleased to report that at six weeks, the infant is progressing remarkably well, on no medication, eating normally, gaining weight, and is back home. There are no signs of any negative effects on the brain,” Orbach said.

The successful surgery paves the way for a more proactive approach in managing vein of Galen malformation where doctors repair the defect before birth to prevent heart failure, rather than try to reverse it after birth, Orbach said. 

“This may markedly reduce the risk of long-term brain damage, disability, or death among these infants,” he said.

Morgan Rousseau

Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.

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