Scientists have performed the first surgery on the vascular system of the brain of a 34-week-old child with fetal development in the United States. The research was published in the journal Paralysis.
Surgeons from Boston Hospital and Harvard Medical School performed a joint surgery to correct the brain malformation, arteriovenous malformation of the vein of Galen (VOGM). In this case, arteries in the brain are connected directly to veins instead of capillaries. This slows blood flow and can cause impaired pressure control in the cerebral vessels. Babies with VOGM usually die in the first days after birth.
At the time of surgery, the baby was 34 weeks and 2 days of gestation. Born in mid-March 2023, the baby was discharged after a few weeks in intensive care and is developing completely normally. She did not require additional surgery after birth. Brain MRI did not show the paralysis, fluid buildup, or bleeding often seen with VOGM.