Seven-week-old Denver Coleman has no idea yet what a miracle she was able to bring into the world. When this child was in the mother’s womb, her brain surgery was done at the same time. This girl, who lives near Boston, has created history by participating in this experimental surgery.
Boston Children’s Hospital specialist Dr. Darren Orbach told that the baby had a rare blood vessel abnormality (blood clotting problem in the veins) in the brain. In medical science it is called Van of Gelen Malformation (VOGM). In this condition, the veins that carry blood from the brain to the heart do not develop properly. This puts stress on the heart.
Blood was accumulating in a 14 mm pocket inside the brain
Dr. Orbach explains, ‘Blood started accumulating in a 14 mm wide pocket in Denver’s brain. This often leads to heart failure or brain damage in children. He cannot live for long. According to Dr. Orbach, in the 30th week of Kenyatta Coleman’s pregnancy, we found a problem with a routine ultrasound.
On March 15, at 34 weeks of pregnancy, we planned the surgery for this landmark clinical trial. The mother was given a spinal anesthetic to keep her awake. She was listening to music on headphones the whole time.
The challenge was to rotate the embryo to reach the needle: ‘The second step was to rotate the embryo to expose the brain and gain access,’ explains Dr. Orbach. The injection was given to the fetus to prevent pain and prevent movement.
Medical miracle happened in US hospital
We, a team of 10 doctors took the help of ultrasound to reach the long needle to the fetus. The vessel was not fully developed, so the blood flow was high. Team members passed the catheter around it through the needle. So that small platinum coils can be inserted in the space filled with blood.
Each coil expanded upon entering. It helped to block the junction of artery and vein. During this, some members of the team monitored the blood flow in the child’s brain. When it is ensured that the BP has come down to normal level, then stop injecting the coil and carefully withdraw the needle. This surgery was done in 20 minutes. The whole process took two hours. The surgery was successful. Denver came into the world two days later.
Relieved when BP became normal: Dr. Orbach says, ‘During scanning, BP showed normal in key areas. The weight at birth was 1.9 kg. There was no congenital disability.’ Mother and daughter are doing well, says Dr. Orbach. Mother Kenyatta says, ‘When she hears the cry of the daughter, she cannot express the feeling.’
Source: https://bit.ly/3M5F3Cc