Fetoscopy is an endoscopic procedure performed during pregnancy that gives surgeons direct access to the fetus, the amniotic cavity, the umbilical cord, and the fetal side of the placenta. A small incision of three to four millimeters is made in the abdomen and an endoscope is passed through the abdominal wall and uterus into the amniotic cavity, allowing tissue sampling or laser treatment of abnormal blood vessels for conditions such as spina bifida or chorioangioma. Usually performed in the second or third trimester, the procedure carries a risk of fetal loss or early delivery that must be weighed against its benefits.
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Fetoscopy
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Why do some surgeons repair spina bifida with fetoscopy instead of open fetal surgery?
Fetoscopic repair is technically harder but was proposed to avoid the maternal complications of open fetal surgery.
Open fetal surgery for spina bifida opens the uterus, and a 2016 review in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology reported that open repair was associated with higher rates of preterm birth, oligohydramnios and placental abruption, along with a 35% risk of uterine thinning or dehiscence. A fetoscopic approach, first reported in 1997 by Bruner and colleagues, works through small openings instead. The review's authors described it as technically more challenging, but as having the potential to address the fetal and maternal shortcomings of the open approach. This describes how surgeons have reasoned about the choice and is not medical advice.
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Source Fetoscopy (Wikipedia)
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1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
2. Fetoscopy (Wikipedia)
History section
In 1945, Björn Westin published a study which documented his use of a panendoscope to directly observe embryos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetoscopy, lead section
Fetoscopy is an endoscopic procedure during pregnancy to allow surgical access to the fetus, the amniotic cavity, the umbilical cord, and the fetal side of the placenta.
Treats: Spina Bifida, Lead: treats Spina Bifida
Fetoscopy allows for medical interventions such as a biopsy (tissue sample) or a laser occlusion of abnormal blood vessels (such as chorioangioma) or the treatment of spina bifida.
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