Baby Thrives After First-of-its-Kind Pre-Birth Surgery for Rare Abdominal Defect

A baby born with a rare abdominal birth defect is thriving after doctors repaired the condition before birth in what specialists describe as a first-of-its-kind clinical trial. Theo, now five months old, underwent foetal surgery while still in his mother's womb after being diagnosed with complex gastroschisis, a condition in which the abdominal wall does not develop properly, leaving the intestines outside the body. The procedure was carried out when his mother, Maisie Savage, was 26 weeks pregnant, according to BBC. The operation, performed at Texas Children's Hospital in the United States, involved surgeons partially exposing the uterus before using minimally invasive keyhole instruments to gently return the baby's intestines into the abdomen and close the opening. Theo became the third baby in the world to receive the experimental treatment. "It's a little miracle, isn't he?" Maisie told the BBC, adding that the difficult recovery was "worth it."

Family travelled overseas after diagnosis

Maisie and her partner, Josh French, learned something was wrong during a routine pregnancy scan before specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London confirmed their unborn son had the more severe form of gastroschisis. Because of the complexity of the condition, the couple were referred to the ongoing clinical trial in Houston led by Dr Michael Belfort, who has previously pioneered foetal surgery for babies with spina bifida. Before travelling to the US, Maisie underwent a procedure at Leuven Hospital in Belgium, where doctors injected Botox into the baby's abdominal wall to relax the muscles and improve the chances of a successful repair. The surgery was carried out in November last year. After partially exposing the womb, surgeons replaced the amniotic fluid with carbon dioxide to create space before using keyhole surgery to reposition Theo's organs and close the defect. Despite undergoing major surgery while pregnant, Maisie carried Theo for another 14 weeks before giving birth vaginally in Texas in February.

Doctors hope treatment can expand

Dr Belfort said the operation had exceeded expectations, noting there were no complications during or after the foetal surgery. "The mother, the baby, the surgery, the time of the surgery, the fact that we had zero complications during the foetal surgery and after the foetal surgery, just remarkable," he said. Gastroschisis affects around one in every 3,000 babies born in the UK. Babies with severe cases often require months of neonatal intensive care, multiple operations and long-term nutritional support, while some eventually need an intestinal transplant. Back in London, Theo is developing normally, and his parents say the surgery transformed what could have been a far more difficult start to his life. "Everything they did just completely reversed what could have been a really horrible start to his life," Maisie said. "He's a completely normal baby essentially."