Doctors in Guangzhou Province, South China have successfully operated on
a 28-week-old fetus with congenital heart disease – while in its mom’s
belly.
The 39-year-old patient, whose surname is Xie, became pregnant for a
second time six months ago. Twenty-one weeks later, she had an
ultrasonic test which showed the fetus was suffering from arrhythmogenic
right ventricular dysplasia. The chances of survival are very low if
surgery is undertaken after birth.
Xie
insisted she wanted to keep the baby. And on September 22, doctors in
Guangzhou conducted interventional cardiology treatment, with the help
of experts from Austria. The size of the fetus’ heart was as small as an
almond so the slightest movement could have resulted in damage, said
Zhuang Jian, the director of Guangdong General Hospital.
Xie left the hospital four days after the successful operation. This is
the first time Chinese doctors have conducted an interventional
cardiology operation on a fetus’ congenital heart disease.
More photos below…
Source: CCTV News
