The Michael and Ann Ciresi Midwest Fetal Care Center based in Minneapolis will now offer open fetal surgery.
Children's Minnesota and Allina Health, both based in Minneapolis, collaborated to form the Michael and Ann Ciresi Midwest Fetal Care Center in 2008.
Here are five highlights:
1. Open fetal surgery involves the partial removal of a fetus from the womb for corrective surgery.
2. Donors made the addition of the open fetal surgery program a reality, which will focus on treating spine bifida.
3. Research supports the theory that in-utero surgery can result in enhanced results for those with spine bifida, compared to traditional postnatal repair.
4. A multidisciplinary team decides if a patient is a proper candidate for the surgery. If surgery occurs, fetal surgeons, neurosurgeons and maternal fetal medicine specialists collaborate on the surgery.
5. Brad Feltis, MD, PhD, surgery director and pediatric surgeon at Midwest Fetal Care Center, said they hope to move toward treating spine bifida in the womb with a minimally invasive approach.