History
Fetal surgical techniques using animal models were first developed at the University of California, San Francisco in 1980 by Dr. Michael R. Harrison and his research colleagues.
On April 26, 1981, the first human open fetal surgery in the world was performed at University of California, San Francisco under the direction of Dr. Michael Harrison. The fetus in question had a congenital hydronephrosis, a blockage in the urinary tract that caused the bladder to dangerously extend. To correct this a vesicostomy was performed placing a catheter in the fetus allowing the urine to be released normally. The blockage itself was removed surgically after birth.
Further advances have been made in the years since this first operation. New techniques have allowed additional defects to be treated and for less invasive forms of fetal surgical intervention.
Read more about this topic: Fetal Surgery
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