Operative fetoscopy via telesurgery.
We describe a case in which telesurgical consultation from Tampa, Florida, USA was used to accomplish operative fetoscopy in Santiago, Chile for the treatment of a twin pregnancy involving an acardiac twin. The procedure was successful and a healthy infant was delivered at 37.5 weeks. Operative fetoscopy, a surgical approach to correct birth defects in utero via combined ultrasound and endoscopy, is only available in a handful of centers worldwide. Telesurgery makes use of telecommunication to allow a surgeon at a primary operating site to consult with another experienced surgeon for complex surgical cases. This case illustrates the potential for ultrasound and telesurgery to expand the horizons of operative fetoscopy.
Quintero
R A
RA
Florida Institute for Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, Tampa, Florida 33613, USA. yvrq@aol.com
Muñoz
H
H
Pommer
R
R
Diaz
C
C
Bornick
P W
PW
Allen
M H
MH
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005318:Fetal Heart / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005330:Fetofetal Transfusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005332:Fetoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D017216:Telemedicine; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D014469:Umbilical Arteries / Q000196:embryology / Q000601:surgery; D014471:Umbilical Veins / Q000196:embryology / Q000601:surgery