Doctors Eradicate Deadly Condition in Groundbreaking Brain Surgery on Unborn Baby

For the first time ever, researchers were able to perform an in-utero brain surgery for a rare condition known as vein of Galen malformation. While the condition can often lead to severe health issues for infants, the patient has been healthy and stable since birth.

Vein of Galen malformation, known as VOGM, occurs when the blood vessel that is supposed to carry blood to the brain doesn't develop properly. Often, there is not even awareness of the condition until after the baby is born, which greatly increases the risk of heart failure, brain injury, and even death.

In this case, doctors spotted VOGM in the fetus when mother Kenyatta Coleman went in for a scheduled ultrasound at 30 weeks. After speaking with her husband, Coleman decided to go through with the procedure, which took place at Boston Children's Hospital in her 34th week of pregnancy.

There have been other in-utero surgeries before but they are extremely rare. This was the first time one was ever performed on the vein of Galen. The ultra-sound guided procedure immediately improved blood flow through the brain malformation and in less than a day, heart function had improved significantly.

Denver Coleman was born shortly after the procedure and does not seem to have any lingering health problems. The newborn did not require any cardiovascular surgery and after a few weeks of observation in the NICU, she was allowed to go home with her parents.

Dr. Darren Orbach, a radiologist at Boston Children’s and expert in treating VOGM, said that the success of the procedure "may markedly reduce the risk of long-term brain damage, disability or death among these infants."