Fetal Surgery for CCAM and the EXIT Procedure (6 of 10)

If a fetal lung lesion is causing heart failure, fetal surgery may be performed to remove the CCAM before birth. http://fetalsurgery.chop.edu

N. Scott Adzick, MD, Mark Johnson, MD, and Holly Hedrick, MD, experts from the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, explain when fetal intervention for CCAM is recommended, the various approaches that may be used to treat the most complex fetal lung lesions before birth, and how these procedures are performed.

One concern with fetal lung lesions is that they take up space in the chest. If the lung mass grows and pushes the heart and other organs out of place, it can lead to complications such as fetal hydrops (heart failure in the fetus). If this happens, a fetal surgery procedure may be performed to remove the CCAM before birth.
In other cases, an EXIT procedure may be performed to partially deliver the baby, so the team can remove the mass before the baby is fully delivered.

In this video series, parents, nurses and doctors from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment talk about the different types of fetal lung lesions like congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) and bronchopulmonary sequestration (BPS), the importance of accurate diagnosis and monitoring, and the most advanced treatment options currently available. They also discuss follow-up care and long-term outcomes for babies diagnosed with fetal lung lesions.