Boston Doctors Perform 'First-of-Its-Kind' Brain Surgery on Baby in Womb
At six weeks, "the infant is progressing remarkably well, on no medications, eating normally, gaining weight, and is back home," Darren B. Orbach, M.D. said
Doctors have repaired a malformation in the brain of a 34-week-old fetus.
The American Heart Association shared news of the groundbreaking procedure through a press release on Thursday, stating that the surgery was done as part of a clinical trial that is currently underway at the Boston Children's Hospital and Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. The surgery treats the vein of Galen malformation in the brain.
According to the AHA, the malformation is a rare prenatal condition in which arteries "bringing high-flow, high-pressure blood to the brain from the heart connect directly with one of the main collecting veins deep at the base of the brain, rather than to capillaries that are necessary to slow blood flow and deliver oxygen to surrounding brain tissue."
The malformation is often uncovered through a prenatal ultrasound and is diagnosed by MRI during the late second or third trimester of pregnancy. A patient can face deadly conditions such as heart failure or pulmonary hypertension if left untreated.
"In our ongoing clinical trial, we are using ultrasound-guided transuterine embolization to address the vein of Galen malformation before birth, and in our first treated case, we were thrilled to see that the aggressive decline usually seen after birth simply did not appear," explained Darren B. Orbach, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the Cerebrovascular Surgery & Interventions Center at Boston Children's Hospital in a statement.
Related:'Young and the Restless' Star Eric Braeden Says His Cancer Was Initially Misdiagnosed
"We are pleased to report that at six weeks, the infant is progressing remarkably well, on no medications, eating normally, gaining weight, and is back home. There are no signs of any negative effects on the brain," he added.
Orbach is also an associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School and helped author research on the procedure for the American Stroke Association's peer-reviewed journal Stroke. According to the study, the infant patient, identified by CNN as Denver Coleman, was delivered two days after the surgery at 4 pounds and 1 ounce.
"I heard her cry for the first time, and that just, I – I can't even put into words how I felt at that moment. It was just, you know, the most beautiful moment being able to hold her, gaze up on her and then hear her cry," her mother, Kenyatta Coleman of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, told the outlet.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The outlet reports that the toddler continues to show no need for additional intervention and is not taking any medication for heart failure.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
Solve the daily Crossword
