Surgeons remove tumor from baby’s heart in utero

It was supposed to be a routine ultrasound. In December 2023, Brailey and Louis Valenzuela, who are expecting their second child, go to the obstetrician to perform this examination. Brailey was then 24 weeks pregnant, and the pregnancy, after the first few months “easy“, takes another turn. Doctors tell parents that their child has a tumor on the heart, the size of an olive. This pericardial teratoma must be removed urgently, otherwise it will inevitably grow until it causes death .

An in utero operation to remove the tumor from the heart

The couple was referred to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). There is no question of inducing labor because the baby is not sufficiently developed and its chances of survival outside the uterus are low. The child must be operated on in utero to remove the tumor.

However, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has already performed three in utero procedures like this. According to the Daily Mailapproximately 55 cases were detected worldwide between 2000 and 2020.”These tumors can grow so large that they can reach two, three or four times the size of the heart and compress it, preventing it from fillingexplains Dr. Jack Rychik, one of the doctors involved in the operation to the American media Today. We cannot survive if the heart cannot fill itself. This is what makes these tumors deadly.”

When they arrived at the hospital, the parents carried out various tests to perfect the diagnosis. “Less than 24 hours later, Brailey became the fourth CHOP patient to successfully undergo this type of fetal heart surgery”announces the hospital in a press release.

One hour to remove the tumor in utero

This operation involves opening the belly to partially remove the baby from the uterus: the arms are extended so that the chest is exposed outwards. The rest of the infant’s body remains inside so that it remains protected by the amniotic fluid as much as possible. The objective is to intervene precisely and quickly with minimal disruption to surrounding tissues and organs. Devices prevent any detection of the operation by the body and prevent contractions from being triggered. In total, the surgical procedure lasted an hour.

Pericardial teritoma: a perfectly healthy baby after the operation

After a few days, doctors found that the baby’s heart was working properly. The mother then remained in the hospital until Arley was born by cesarean section three months later. After giving birth, she spent three weeks in a center dedicated to intensive care for newborns. Today, Arley is in perfect health and his heart is beating normally.