Prenatal treatment
The FETO procedure can double the chances of survival of a newborn with severe CDH. In 2021, results of a randomized clinical trial were published, which evidenced the effectiveness of the procedure. FETO is now an internationally recognized in-utero treatment option for CDH.
The study results evidencing the effectiveness of the FETO procedure were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2027030
The procedure involves blocking an unborn baby’s airway and is performed to increase the chance of survival of a newborn with CDH. CDH is one of the most serious congenital structural malformations diagnosed in unborn babies, associated with a very high mortality rate. FETO is only offered to patients with the most severe prognosis. The procedure involves the placement of a balloon into the unborn baby’s windpipe. The balloon is filled with approximately 1 ml of saline. This results in a tight occlusion of the airways. This increases the pressure of the fluid below the balloon, which stimulates and stretches the lungs, and increases their volume. As a result, the baby will have a better chance of survival.