Australian Baby's Foot Saved In Utero (1/05)

A Victorian medical team has saved an unborn baby’s foot by operating on the 27-week-old fetus in utero.  The rare procedure – the second of its kind in Australia – was declared a success, with baby Ella Grace Turner, born on 2Jan, able to move her foot and toes. An ultrasound scan 19 weeks into the pregnancy revealed a band of tissue had broken away from the womb lining and tangled around the baby’s left leg, cutting blood supply.  Her obstetrician advised that the foot was likely to have to be amputated after birth, but referred her to the head of pediatric surgery at Melbourne’s Monash Medical Centre. Dr. Kimber performed a one-hour procedure that involved a team of 25.  A 2mm operating telescope was inserted into the womb to identify the constricting tissue and burn through it with lasers.  [Republican National Coalition for Life FaxNotes – 14Jan05; news.com.au, 1/11/05]