Saudi "Specialized" Hospital Successfully Performs a Specialized Laparoscopic Surgery on a Fetus Inside the Uterus

A medical team at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh performed the first surgical operation of its kind, which involved a 26-week-old fetus undergoing surgery to repair a congenital defect in the spinal cord.

In detail, a fetus in its 26th week underwent surgery to repair a congenital defect in the spinal cord, using a fetal surgical endoscope for the first time in the Middle East, as an early procedure aimed at:

1- Preventing harmful development and improving functional outcomes,

2- Reducing the need for surgical interventions after birth, which reduces its consequences on the child and his family in the future.

The mother left the hospital in good health to continue the pregnancy according to the treatment plan.

The surgical procedure, which was performed by a joint medical team from King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, aimed to preserve the fetus inside the womb for the rest of the pregnancy, thus enhancing the chances of its healthy development.

The operation was performed using a fetal endoscope, by making three small openings in the uterus, no more than 2 mm, at the location of the fetus’s back, while monitoring its condition during the surgery using ultrasound. The birth defect was repaired, and after the surgery was completed, the spinal cord became completely protected.

The head of the medical team performing the operation and director of the Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Program, Dr. Saud Al-Shanaifi, said: “This achievement reflects the great medical development in the field of fetal surgery, and highlights the commitment of the “Specialized” to providing the highest levels of health care to treat and improve the quality of life of the fetus and its family in the Kingdom and abroad.”

He explained that the traditional procedure in the case of spina bifida is to subject the child to surgery after birth in order to prevent infections in the nervous system, but this method may not completely prevent neurological complications resulting from exposure of the spinal cord during pregnancy.

He pointed out that the new thing about this procedure is the repair of the congenital defect through a minimally invasive fetal endoscope by making openings no larger than 2 mm, so that the congenital defect is repaired without opening the uterus, which has a positive impact on the mother’s health and pregnancy in the future.